Her Armor was as Jewels
by Sophia Dreith
Summary: When he'd met her, she'd been a nothing trooper. A low level scout that stood out for her almost freakish height and nothing else. But then she'd saved his life; had stepped in front of him to shield him from the blaster fire of a resistance assassin. *Side Story within the Creatures behind Masks Series*
1. Chapter 1

This is a follow-up/prequel/side story to **Creatures behind Masks** and runs simultaniously with **Beneath the Facade.** But this story focuses on the relationship between General Huz and Captain Phasma.

* * *

Hux couldn't even look at her. He knew she was angry with him; that she was probably boiling over with rage at his actions and what they had cost the empire. But he knew she would still obey his orders as she'd always done despite his loss of her respect.

For now.

He'd earn it back, he was sure. He'd get them out of this and they would both move on. He'd have to make sure she couldn't transfer to another ship; that she couldn't leave. That would make her even angrier but Hux found that he didn't care.

She would never disobey him, even if he asked her to kill her entire squad. She'd proven long ago that she served for him alone. He'd earned her loyalty in the years they they'd worked together.

When he'd met her, she'd been a nothing trooper. A low level scout that stood out for her almost freakish height and nothing else. But then she'd saved his life; had stepped in front of him to shield him from the blaster fire of a resistance assassin.

Normally, that would have meant nothing to him. Storm troopers were fodder; raised to fight and die for the empire. Violence and blood didn't bother him either but his eyes had been glued to the red liquid pouring from the gut of his savior and she'd never even fallen. She'd raised her blaster and fired multiple times, killing the would-be assassin.

When it was clear that the danger had passed, her body had slumped in on itself and she'd turned to him, asking if he was alright. Her voice had been weak and at the time all he could think was that he'd never have thought her to be female. She towered over most of the other troopers and was broader across than many of his men.

He had nodded as other storm troopers swarmed around them and she all but collapsed when she realized that he was safe again. Hux remembered barking orders to save her. He hadn't known her designation, hadn't known who she was at the time, and he'd looked on as she was carried away to a med ship.

It was the first and only time he'd gotten even an inkling of what she was like under that helmet. He never saw her face but he'd been able to catch a glimpse of short white blonde hair as the doors closed behind her.

It was a paltry thing to find out her designation. PF-9064. He'd grimaced while looking over the report that she'd only been in the bacta tank a day before she'd been put back to work. The wound would not have been fully healed after such a short period of time. He'd used his rank to have her at least assigned a lighter duty schedule for few weeks and then considered his debt to her paid. After all, what did he really owe to cannon fodder for doing her job?

He'd put her from his mind for the most part but every now and again, she would draw his attention, her height making her stand out amongst the rest. It was like some kind of automatic response. If they were in the same room, his eyes immediately found her.

Almost a year after the assassination attempt, he'd finally gotten the promotion to Colonel and had been assigned to oversee the completion of Star Killer Base. He would be gone from Korriban for the foreseeable future except for the occasional visits to report personally to the supreme leader.

Everything had gone according to the plan he'd set out for himself. His smug grin had felt more than justified as he walked towards the shuttle that would carry he and his things to the jewel of the empire. It would only be a matter of time before he was running the place.

He had almost missed her but as usual, where she was, his gaze followed. She was standing at the head of a squad and he noticed that she now wore a white pauldron, denoting her rank as sergeant. She hadn't been wearing it the last time he'd spotted her, so it was a recent promotion.

The squad suddenly stood to attention before beginning their march as their unit commander directed them away. He couldn't help but notice that despite her stern demeanor, her hips swayed as she walked in a way that was almost magnetic.

He would never really figure out why he did what he did next.

"PF-9064!"

She stopped and turned towards him. Her squad continued without her as she stepped away and saluted him. "Yes, sir?"

"You will accompany me in my shuttle."

He could tell he had surprised her when her helmet had tilted just slightly but her response was prompt. "Yes, sir."

She'd said nothing about her things or her squad so he'd nodded shortly and turned to continue making his way to the shuttle. He didn't hear her for a few seconds and was about to stop and turn around but then there it was… Her quiet steps as she shadowed behind him, no doubt towering over him.

And she'd never left his shadow since then. He'd moved up in the ranks and had taken her with him. He remembered every little thing about her, few things though there were. It had been fascinating to find out that she did like pretty things. He'd have thought such fanciful notions to have been beaten out of any trooper, but when she'd accompanied him on a trade planet as he looked for a suitable gift to present to his father—an admiral of the highest rank—he'd not really noticed what the sales clerk in the jewelry store was trying to sell him. He'd noticed that her helmet ever so slightly turned to admire the beautiful jewels that had shown in an array of color and light behind the glass.

After he'd made general, one of his first acts was to promote her to captain. This in and of itself was not unusual - many officers found troopers that they used as a right hand to direct the others - but Hux had done something that many of his peers had speculated on for months after.

He'd had special armor made for her. It gleamed in the light like the jewelry that she admired. And while he'd never see her in a dress like the girls who danced at his mother's galas, he'd gifted her with cape trimmed in the deepest of red. He thought with her pale blonde hair that she would look lovely in red.

And as if that hadn't been enough to set tongues wagging, he'd done what many deemed unthinkable. He'd named her. Phasma for the Phasma Nebula which no ship dared to enter because none returned.

He'd gone against everything that had been instilled in him regarding storm troopers. They were many and faceless. Expendable and ordinary. The most any could hope to do to stand out was to gain an orange pauldron when they made unit leader.

But she was now unique. She stood out from all others not just with her height but with her very presence in her chrome armor and fluttering cape that swayed as she walked.

And when he'd been standing on the bridge, powering up the weapon, a voice came over the comm that he hadn't recognized. According to the communications tech, it was Phasma's ID code. And then he'd heard her voice.

It was steady and resolute. "I will not shut down the shields. You may kill me but I will not assist you."

Hux remembered his eyes widening. He remembered yelling at the communications tech to get him a direct line to her and to shut off the bridge speakers as he put the earwig in that let him hear her.

He picked up the microphone and lowered his voice. "Phasma. Drop the shields."

He heard threatening voice return, louder and angrier. "I'm serious! I will blow a hole through that chrome skull of yours if you don't drop the shields!"

Her voice was even as though she hadn't heard him. "I will not help you, traitor. You turned from us and now you seek to destroy everything. I will not—"

Hux clenched his teeth. "Phasma, I am ordering you to lower the shield!"

"S—" She stopped, not wanting to reveal he was listening, no doubt. "You will pay for this, traitor."

Whether she was talking to him or to FN-2187, he wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he called out to the bridge staff to begin rerouting controls in preparation for raising the shields again on his command.

He listened in as she entered in the necessary codes to drop the shield. A normal trooper, even a captain, would not usually have this kind of access. But she was his closest ally and he allowed her free reign in assisting him by giving her access to classified materials. It simply had made his job easier in the past.

But as his eyes slid shut for a few seconds and his fist clenched, he realized… It had apparently also made her a target.

The shields dropped and he waited as the traitor and his companions squabbled over what to do with her. He ignored the bridge staff as they called that two dozen X-wing fighters had dropped out of hyperspace. They meant nothing. They could do nothing in those ships and he'd almost absent-mindedly ordered the base's full air support to go out to meet the resistance fighters.

Hux's eye had twitched slightly when he realized that the resistance had gotten in and he still hadn't raised the shield again. He listened to the traitor question Phasma on the whereabouts of Kylo Ren's prized prisoner. She only made them angrier when she confirmed that Kylo Ren had already sent the girl off world. He'd then bitten the inside of his lip when they made light of dumping her into a trash compactor but said nothing.

His attention was drawn away from her as the oscillator exploded in the background across the monitors. He needed to think but first he needed to act. The traitor and his comrades didn't put her in a compactor, but they did force her down a garbage shoot. He grimaced but Phasma had master codes so she would be able to free herself quickly.

His words we quiet amidst the panic rocking the bridge. "Phasma, get to a ship in the hanger. I will meet you there."

She didn't immediately answer him and his eyes narrowed. "Phasma!"

He heard a soft intake of breath. "Yes, sir."

She was angry. Angry enough that the slightest hint of defiance threaded through her tone. He ignored it. Her anger at him meant nothing if she wasn't even alive to act on it.

He needed to report to Snoke first, though, and ran full speed towards the holo room.


	2. Chapter 2

Hux's eye had twitched upon seeing Phasma help Kylo Ren into the ship before the planet was blown to dust. He'd have rather left the knight to his fate on the crumbling planet but his orders were to bring the dark haired man. He could not help eyeing Kylo as he meditated and Hux felt that familiar itch in the back of his mind that meant Ren was searching his thoughts.

It was gone quickly and Kylo either hadn't discovered what Hux had done or he didn't care because he walked up to cockpit to ask about his own ship and the girl he's interrogated before. Hux felt for the girl. Kylo Ren was as vicious as a snake and to have his full attention was to court death. The pilots apparently agreed because they inched away from the man as far as they could in the small space.

He'd lost the scavenger girl and even with the mask on, Hux could tell his was probably frothing at the mouth under it. He knew about her, of course. She had somehow defeated Ren's mind manipulation techniques and kept the information about Skywalker from the Knight. Hux was reluctantly impressed at not just her ability but also the effect she had on Ren. He was incredibly angry but thankfully he didn't feel the need to take out that red saber of his and start going to town on the consoles. Or the personnel, Hux thought acidly.

The ship dropped out of hyper-space and Hux's pad chimed that he had a message, which he ignored. The ship landed and Phasma was the first down the ramp and away from them. His eyes narrowed as he eyed her retreating back but he didn't call her. He knew she would be angry for a while but it was worth it. She was alive.

But he also knew she would be seeking out the reconditioning area. It was what Phasma always did when her emotions became more than a whisper in her mind. It irritated him but there was nothing to be done for it at this point.

Snoke would be expecting his report promptly and, thankfully, he already had his story devised. He looked down at his pad at the message and nodded in satisfaction. The bridge crew had almost all been aboard one evacuation ship. But that ship hadn't been able to escape the explosion. It was a sad thing, really.

There was only one person left to implicate he and Phasma. He unstrapped himself from the ship and exited onto the landing pad. He just needed to tie up that last loose end. He looked around at all the evac ships landing. Thankfully, officers were already congregating together while the stormtroopers were reporting to their barracks.

He looked around, his eyes sharp until he spotted her. The communications tech who had been the one to cut off the transmission of Phasma's message so it would not be heard by the crew. But she'd still heard everything.

His pace was slow and almost lazy as he made his way over to her, his gaze piercing when her eyes meet his. She almost jumped at the sight of him as he stood before her. Hux might not have been as tall as Phasma but he still towered over this shrinking violet.

His voice was friendly, casual. "Lieutenant Bryce, is it?"

Her breath caught but she stood to attention. "Sir. Yes, sir."

"Good. Walk with me."

They walked away from the group of officers milling about. He wanted privacy.

Hux kept his tone light. "You know, you're very brave and very lucky to be alive."

She looked up at him. "Sir?"

He smiled benignly. "I heard that you weren't on the doomed shuttle carrying the bridge crew because you were helping the people who were trapped in the med bay to escape."

Bryce nodded. "I-I help out there sometimes in my off hours."

He pulled out a pad and looked it over. "Yes. You applied for the medical education tract but you were denied because your scores in communications were just a bit higher than your scores in medical testing."

She looked away from him. "I-I am happy to serve the Order in whatever capacity is required of me."

Hux smiled. "That's very good of you to say. I was impressed by your conduct and abilities and I'd like to offer you proposal."

She nodded. "Sir?"

"I will be needing new medical trainees aboard the next ship I command. I can guarantee you a reevaluation and a spot aboard. You just need to do one thing for me."

She wasn't an idiot, obviously because she nodded and her eyes were serious. He handed the pad over to her. "Memorize this and report it."

She took the pad and looked back at him. "Yes, General."

He smiled in what he hoped was a congenial manner and left her.

* * *

His report to the Supreme Leader was accepted with corroboration from the communications tech. Kylo Ren stood there watching and he felt the man inside his head pushing thoughts around. It almost seemed as though the knight were helping Hux to hide the evidence of his misconduct, but if that were true, he would need to be on guard. Kylo Ren never did favors for free.

He walked out of the throne room and breathed a sigh of relief. His life and his career were still intact. But he had to find Phasma. She was the lynchpin in all of this and he hadn't seen her at all since they landed. He eventually tracked her down and she was just standing on one of the many balconies of the palace. Well, one of the intact balconies, anyway. The place was practically still a ruin, if he was being honest.

Her armor gleamed in the sun and her cape fluttered in the wind as she looked out upon the military complex. Hux would have rather not disturbed her but this was important. He allowed his steps to make noise as he came to stand beside her.

"I've taken care of everything."

Her tone was flat. "That's not necessary. I plan to turn myself into the supreme leader and accept my punishment."

Aggravation rose within him, both at her words and her voice. She had obviously just finished with a reconditioning session and her emotions were purged.

His words were sharper than he would have wished. "You'll do no such thing."

She didn't look at him, but continued to stare into the horizon. "Sir, I have always acted in the best interest of the First Or-"

He cut her off. "No, You've always acted in defense of _my_ interests and you'll continue to do so."

She was silent for a minute before responding. "Your interests have always been aligned with that of the Order… But I will not tell them you ordered me to do it. I will claim full responsibility."

His eye twitched. "Again. You will not."

She finally looked towards him. "Sir…"

He looked up and into the dark visor. "Phasma, you will say _nothing_."

Her helmet tilts and her voice is confused. "Why… It's not my place to question you but... why did you not allow my death. It's what I was born to do."

He gritted his teeth. "Perhaps you might have been born for that but you live today to serve _me_."

She sighed. "Sir. Perhaps a transfer-"

"No."

"It seems you have an unhealthy atta-"

Hux could not help raising his voice as he cut her off. " _I said no!_ You aren't going anywhere and you'll say nothing. That's an _order_."

He didn't wait for her to respond before walking away. He took a few harsh breaths as he pushed down the hysteria threatening to bubble up under the surface. He was able to keep a stony face even as he passed officers who gossiped like old school marms over the loss of Star Killer Base. It took him almost twenty minutes to finally reach the doors to his private quarters and he placed his hand over the identification pad. The doors slid open and he stepped inside. It had been months since he'd last been here and the air was stale. Hux took a deep gasping breath as he fell back against the now closed door and slipped down to the floor. His breathing became quick as he began to hyperventilate.

He whispered over and over. "Everything is fine. No one knows. Everything is fine…"

He was alive. Phasma was alive. Not that she was in any way grateful to all that he'd done for her. But she didn't think the same way he did. His programming methods and education requirements of the stormtroopers had made sure of that.

He also knew that she submitted herself to reconditioning every two months regardless of the fact that she'd never truly needed it. She'd begun doing so five years ago and had given her reason on her paperwork that it helped keep her focused. Hux knew it kept her numb.

After several minutes, he finally calmed down enough to get back up and make his way to his desk. He couldn't help wiping everything down — the settled dust was disgustingly thick — before sitting and opening his terminal. He had several missed calls from various people all checking to see if he'd made it off the base alive. The only one he returned was to his mother. It only rang once before his mother's face filled the screen.

He smiled crookedly. "Hello mother."

Her flame-colored hair was in a stylish updo and her make-up was perfect but for the slightly dramatic smudging around the eyes. "Oh thank the stars. They wouldn't tell us anything!"

He nodded and didn't feel even slightly guilty. "Standard protocol, mother."

Lady Hux's mouth twisted. "Protocol be damned. You're my son! Just what happened?"

The general sighed. "There was a malfunction in our shield generator and the resistance took advantage of it." He really would rather not think about any of it but when you are in charge of the largest space station in the galaxy and it gets blown to dust on your watch… Well, he knew he would be answering that same question for years to come.

She tuted. "That riff raff gets bolder every year."

Hux inclined his head, decidedly not thinking about how a dozen x-wing fighters had managed to destroy the entire station. "Quite."

Lady Hux raised a brow. "And how is your captain?"

Hux cringed mentally. Of course his mother knew about Phasma. "She's fine."

His mother looked slightly to the side. "Ah, pity."

Of course his mother didn't care for Phasma. Gwendolyn Hux was a woman of the finest breeding and education that money could buy. And her son deserved a wife who was just as perfect. At least in her mind. The general resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he'd have done in his youth.

As it was, he did grimace and raise a brow of his own. "Rather indelicate, mother."

But she seemed unimpressed and scoffed at him. "My only son would prefer the company of a hulking she-beast to the daughters of some of the most powerful and educated families in the sector. The ladies here still ask me when you will finally settle down and all I can say is that you are busy with your _career._ " He'd always known that his mother did not care for his vocational choices. They took him away from home. Away from her. She'd wanted him to be a doctor or a lawyer. But Hux wanted power. And one only got power through the First Order.

The general shook his head. "I have no interest in those frivolous things."

His mother let out a biting laugh. "Darling, I'll have you know _I_ was one of those frivolous things at one point." She sighed dramatically, "Whatever did I do to deserve such an ungrateful child?" She sat back and lounged in an overstuffed chaise that he didn't recognize. But that was not uncommon.

Hux said nothing but watched as she pursed her lips. He knew what that meant. She was about to say something she knew he wouldn't like.

Her tone was deceptively light. "What about if I picked one who would wear the helmet in bed?" She didn't look at him as she said it.

His eyes slid shut and he shook his head in disbelief. "Goodbye, mother."

Her head swiveled quickly and she was again close to the screen. "Darling, I'm only trying to hel—"

The call disconnected and he sat back with his eyes closed. He'd always liked this chair. He snorted. _Wear the helmet in bed, indeed._

* * *

So here is the first new chapter for this short series. Most of these aren't really chapters, per say, but more of a series of vignettes that take place over the year that Kylo Ren is with Rey in Beneath the Facade.

Special thanks to my betas Sarah and Kristen. I know you guys didn't sign up for this editing marathon we're doing but thank you for sticking with me while I try to get this series done. :D


	3. Chapter 3

Hux looked over his orders again as he waited in the hanger to board his shuttle. Phasma stood behind him, quietly watchful. The First Order had learned from the mistakes of the empire and hadn't put all their eggs into the Star Killer Base basket. Even with the devastating loss of the powerful station, their fleet was still intact, including Hux's brand new flagship, the _Actualizer_. The original man slated to take the ship unfortunately contracted a rare strain of the moxian virus and would be bedridden for the next four months in quarantine. Sad thing, really.

The doors to the bridge slid open behind him and a hush settled over the other officers. Hux didn't even need to turn around to know that the new knight that had been assigned to him had just entered the bridge. The general sighed and turned around to face this new...valuable member of the crew. He blinked and almost thought the darkly-clad man was Kylo Ren. But Kylo had run off weeks ago in search of his escaped scavenger girl and no one had heard from him since. This man... He wore a mask like all other knights and sported the hood like Kylo Ren but the similarities ended there. His mask had the elongated jaw and face, but it ended at a sharper point. And there was also far more metal work in an intricate design that swirled around the 'forehead' and 'cheeks'. He didn't wear a robe and shawl around his shoulders like Kylo either. His clothing was far more structured with a trench coat that was open but belted at the waist and it ended at his knees rather than the floor.

He was an unknown quantity. Hux hadn't been aware that there would be a knight aboard his ship. He didn't speak to anyone; he just stood there motionlessly as the officers moved around him. Hux had eyed him but could not bring himself to walk closer to the dangerous creature. But it seemed the knight did not have the same reservations about him because suddenly that metal mast looked his way and Hux could only see the fathomless black of the visor.

The general felt frozen as the knight walked closer to him, striding slowly and his knee-length trench coat moved softly about him. The knight came to a stop and eyed him, his mask tilting in that very Kylo-esque way. Hux wondered if this knight would lose his temper and destroy hundreds of thousands of credits worth of First Order tech as well.

"My mentor spoke highly of you, General Hux." The quiet words were so sudden that Hux nearly jumped.

Hux wasn't aware of meeting any other knights besides Kylo Ren. "Kylo Ren was your mentor?"

The mask moved sharply indicating a short nod. "Yes. I am Jecek Ren. First and only apprentice to Kylo Ren, master of the Knights."

 _As if_ that _was something to be proud of_ , Hux thought sourly. He didn't feel the itch that usually came when Kylo was reading his thoughts so perhaps this one wasn't able to or was just disinclined to do so. Neither option was terribly pleasant to contemplate.

Hux smiled in what he hoped was a friendly look rather than the grimace that he'd have naturally pulled. "Well I hope our relationship will be fruitful and we can retain the respect due to each other."

"Of course, General Hux. I am here in only an advisory and observatory capacity. I have no desire to step on any toes."

As if Hux believed any of _that_. He'd eat his hat if at some point the knight _didn't_ try to usurp power from him. As it was, he smiled and held his hand out. The knight took it and they shook hands in what may have seemed like a pleasant manner to anyone watching but Hux only allowed the barest of twitches at the strong grip that crushed his fingers.

Hux could not help but think he might perhaps have preferred Kylo Ren to this other knight.

* * *

Three weeks later he was still undecided on the matter of the knight. Their small fleet had liberated eight planets so far and Hux had expected some kind of push or pull against his authority. But the knight rarely spoke. And whatever advice he was meant to be giving, he was keeping quiet about it. Kylo Ren had never ceased to shut up and always had a comment about anything and everything Hux ordered.

But Jecek… The only thing Hux could find out about him was that he'd apparently received copies of the interrogation that Kylo Ren had performed on the scavenger girl. He spent many hours watching the same recordings again and again as if looking to solve some kind of mystery. Voyeuristic tendencies aside, he was on the bridge almost constantly and he accompanied Hux to the planets to receive their surrender. Beyond all that, he might as well have not been there.

The same could be said of Phasma, it seemed, as well. Hux shook his head in irritation as he waited for her to come to his office. Phasma had been avoiding him since they'd left the base and even before that. She still acted as his first line of protection down on the planets but she was rarely with him on bridge as she used to be. He knew others had begun to notice as well. No one who saw the chrome trooper didn't know who she was and to whom her position was owed. That she now actively kept away from her patron was a juicy piece of gossip.

The door chimed and he called for it to open. The panels slid back, revealing his captain. She came in and stood before him as the doors shut behind her.

He didn't give her the chance to speak first. "You have been shirking your duties."

Her voice was even. "I have been performing my tasks with peak efficiency. My work completion rate has risen 22% in the last three weeks."

His fingers steepled together as he surveyed her. "Running tasks around the ship is not your only duty. You know you are to be beside me as often as possible."

Her helmet tilted down so she could perhaps get a better look at him. "Has a threat been made to your person?" There was a touch of real curiosity there.

"No."

She nodded shortly. "Then it is a better utilization of my time to complete—"

Hux cut her off. "You're being deliberately obtuse."

She drew herself up. "Sir, I am only reevaluating our original situation and it has become obvious that I am a distraction to you."

His jaw nearly dropped. "A distraction…" _Is that how she thought of herself?_

The captain continued on. "Sir, if I may be frank."

He waved at her. "Oh. Please."

There was a beat before she launched into what had to have been a rehearsed speech. "I know that many of the officers will look through trooper files and choose pleasing individuals to service them on occasion. I, myself, have never been called for such a task but if it will assist you in increasing your efficiency, then I will do my duty."

Hux's jaw actually did drop open now. His first thought was, _as if anyone would dare to call Phasma to their bed_. They wouldn't live to see the next star system. His second thought was that he'd just been propositioned, albeit in a rather derogatory way, by his captain.

His brows were nearly to his hairline. "Oh you will, will you?"

She nodded again. "Yes, sir."

He let out a breath through his nose and ran his tongue over his teeth in disgust. This was not how he'd wanted this conversation to go but she was obviously not listening to him and being deliberately obtuse. Hux recognized the signs of a recent reconditioning session. He'd get nothing more out of her now.

"That will be all, captain."

Phasma straightened. "Sir."

She turned and walked out without another word and he leaned back in his chair and contemplated the conversation he'd just had. He wanted to take her up on her offer but it hadn't really been an offer. Phasma would do her duty but that's not what he wanted. Watching her degenerate into this shell of a person the last five years had made him begin to rethink his position on the stormtroopers. They were needed, obviously, but seeing Phasma's fear of her feelings for him drive her to purge her emotions away every two months like clockwork was beginning to wear on the general.

His very thoughts were treasonous; to contemplate the idea of removing her access to reconditioning and to encourage her to act on her emotions. Relationships of any kind within the First Order were frowned upon. She was right that many officers used the some of the 'troopers for release on occasion. But anything more than occasional servicing would be grounds for severe consequences. It was a harsh life that the 'troopers lead but none of them knew any other way. Breaking through Phasma's training would be difficult and Hux still wasn't sure if it was worth the risk to them both.

But watching her destroy herself slowly was not what he wanted either. He'd speak to her again before her next reconditioning session and perhaps he would get through to her then.

* * *

All the love I can give to my betas, Sarah and Kristen. You guys rock!


	4. Chapter 4

It was the middle of the day when Hux received the call that his father had been killed while liberating another sector. The bridge crew were all privy to the message of his crying mother begging him to return for the wake. Her ginger curls had been in in a state he'd rarely seen them in: askew. He had taken a breath when she'd finally gotten off the comm before turning back to his crew and yelling at them to get back to work. After that display, he would almost assuredly have to return home to bury the man.

Admiral Hux had been a great man, well liked and respected. _General Hux_ couldn't corroborate the sentiment, seeing as he could probably count the number of actual conversations that he'd had with the man on just his two hands. His father had been busy waging the war between the Empire and the New Republic and then he'd _been busy_ helping the Supreme Leader to create the First Order when Hux'd been in school. And when Hux had graduated and joined the First Order himself, they saw each other even less.

His first inkling that perhaps there was more to this short trip than he'd originally thought was when his mother had balked at his bringing Phasma with him to his home. He was alone in his quarters while his mother's pale face filled the holo screen. The general was packing his uniforms when she'd called to confirm it was just him.

Her lip had curled with disdain. "You can't be serious!"

Hux had stopped what he was doing and turned to the screen. "Why would I not be?"

Lady Hux had let out a huff. "You're coming home! You don't need a guard dog!"

He raised in chin in irritation. "Captain Phasma is more than a bodyguard, mother. She will be assisting me in coordinating the attacks while I am otherwise engaged in family matters."

His mother shook her head, a stray curl falling from her coif. "Can she not do that from your ship?"

Hux turned back to his luggage and rolled his eyes. "She can't read my mind, mother. I have to tell her which orders to convey."

Lady Hux had huffed at him but said nothing more. He'd put the conversation from his mind but now he apparently should have thought about it further because what he was looking at right that moment caused him to shut his eyes in mortification.

"Darling! You're home!"

He looked up and spotted his mother's bouffant hair. It was curled up and away in a style that moderately resembled an apricot. And while her attire was black, it was far from the traditional morning gown. The sequins that lined her bust were only the beginning of everything that was wrong. The plethora of marriage-aged females flitting about the area was almost enough to have him turn around and take Phasma back to the land vehicle and leave.

She came up to him and slipped her arm around his, holding him tightly when he tried to pull away. "Darling! I've missed you so much!"

They leaned in and kissed each other on the cheeks. His voice was low. "I can see you've not wasted this opportunity, mother."

Her voice was equally low and the smile pasted in place. "You leave me very little choice when you choose to run from your responsibilities."

Lady Hux looked at Phasma, standing there holding her blaster at attention. "You can leave the help outside, darling."

Hux cringed at her words. Perhaps once he would have heeded her, but he was an adult now and a lord. "I'll do nothing of the sort, mother. The captain will remain with me at all times."

Gwendolyn Hux blinked rapidly at him as if unable to understand. "Darling, having her around would be… _unseemly_."

He gently pried his mother's fingers from his arm. "Either she stays or I go."

She raised a brow and he thought she might have looked moderately proud but it was hard to tell after all the work she'd had done. "As you wish."

Hux nodded and turned back to the silently watching Phasma. "Come. Hopefully this will not take long."

His mother scoffed as he and Phasma left her. He wasn't overly fond of his mother machinations but he wouldn't embarrass her by not at least mingling with the men and women who had come to genuinely pay their respects to his father. Phasma stood out like a beacon in the candlelight that illuminated the room. Her polished chrome armor was like a mirror catching the array of colors from around the room, constantly bringing his attention to her rather than whoever he was speaking with. It didn't help that she was the tallest person in the room besides Lord Wistonial. And Hux raised a brow at the man's presence there. The icy lord, being a staunch pacifist, had hated Hux's father with a passion that defied logic. Perhaps he was there to gloat that the man's warmongering had finally killed him.

Hux was waylaid by one of the lords from a neighboring system. The man all but shoved his daughter in front of Hux and the general could only look down disinterestedly at the brunette sixteen year old as she tried to flutter her lashes at him.

The lord coughed a bit as he looked over at the chrome trooper. "Imagine seeing such a thing. A _stormtrooper_ at a formal gathering. Makes a man wonder if he's ever safe?"

Hux inclined his head. "Captain Phasma has saved my life on more than one occasion. I've gotten used to her presence."

The man's lips pursed but he nodded agreeably and Hux left the lord and his daughter on the excuse of getting a drink. He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to make his exit when his mother tapped her glass with a fork.

Her high-pitched voice carried throughout the room, echoing against the marble floors and walls. "Dinner's being served in the formal dining hall. Please, everyone stay with your assigned seating and remember to eat up and enjoy yourself as my husband would have liked!" She paused for a second before her eyes met Hux's and she smiled. "Come darling! I'll take you to your seat."

The general looked up at Phasma as his mother scurried up to him to take his arm. She looked irritatingly innocent as she added. "I hadn't planned on your guard dog joining us so there aren't enough seats. She'll have to stand off to the side. She can keep an eye on you from there."

Hux felt the twitch of his eye and breathed out sharply.

* * *

Phasma watched the goings on with indifference. The general's mother had lead her over to stand by the wall and even offered to get her a drink but Phasma had declined and the woman flounced off with an empty smile. She could see the general looking quite uncomfortable with two women plastered on either side of him and almost felt bad for him. But looking around at the opulence of the home and the fawning of the man's mother made her shake that thought off quickly.

Every inch of the home screamed the highest level of luxury. The walls were lined with pure white rectangular marble tiles arranged in a staggered pattern while the floors were two-tones square red and white arranged in a checkered pattern. Elegant draperies and lush decor was perfectly arranged in every room that Phasma had seen.

She'd known, of course, that Hux came from money. No one got to be as obnoxiously haughty as he did without something to back it up. But to have her face pressed into the differences of their upbringings was… It was eye-opening.

Phasma continued to scan the area and something caught her eye off to the side. She quietly slipped out and onto the terrace that faced the expansive garden. It was dark so she turned on her infrared and looked over the area.

The captain eventually spotted small mammal but nothing larger so she turned to head back inside. But she was brought up short by the sight before her and she stopped in her tracks. Phasma couldn't stop herself titling her helmet in confusion at the sight. Two petite young girls in floral pastel gowns glaring up at her from their vantage point a half meter below her eye-level. She recognized the brunette as the daughter of the lord that the general had spoken to earlier in the evening but the blonde was unfamiliar.

She tried to move around them. "Excuse me."

The girls make annoyed sounds as they step into her path so she turned back to them. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

One of them, the blonde wearing a pink dress hissed at her. "You can leave Teodorek alone. He doesn't need you following him around."

Phasma blinked and it took her a second to identify 'Teodorek'.

She sighed. "Where I go is neither yours _or my_ decision."

The other girl, the brunette in purple, piped up. "Don't go getting any ideas just 'cause he apparently doesn't care about propriety. You don't mean anything to him. And when he gets married, his wife will make sure he gets rid of you."

Phasma could not have stopped the snort of laughter if she'd even wanted to. "Girl, if it were that easy to get rid of me, I dare say someone would have done it by now." She stepped forward again, "Now please remove yourselves from my path before I am forced to bodily relocate you as an obstruction to my completing my duties."

The brunette pointed a dainty finger at her. "You wouldn't dare."

Phasma raised a brow and flashes of screaming and burning villages went through her mind. She was silent for a second before stepping forward and gripping her blaster in one hand, aimed towards the sky. The girls instantly recoiled at the movement and this time they stepped out of her way. They barely reached her shoulders as she passed by and she knew her armor must have hit one of them because she heard a small sound of distress.

Phasma was beyond caring at this point.

"Captain."

She halted and looked up the steps and found the general standing there looking down at her. She came to attention as he made his way to her. The girl who had been hit, the blonde it seemed, came to his side.

Her hand wrapped around his arm. "She pushed me, Teodorek." Phasma saw the general wince. He didn't seem overly fond of his name.

His voice was politely distant. "I'm sure it was an accident."

But the girl shook her head vigorously. " _No_. She _threatened_ me and then _pushed_ me! You need to _punish_ her."

The general's eyebrows raised and he looked back at Phasma who said nothing. He was quiet for a few seconds before laughing. "I'll be doing no such thing."

The blonde let her outrage twist her face. "What? but she was _disrespectful_ to me-"

He looked down at her as if she was a child he hadn't the time to humor anymore. "And I'm sure you did something to deserve it."

The brunette spoke up this time. "How can you say-"

His head turned sharply towards the other girl. "Because the captain and I have been working together for over a decade. I believe you were still in your _nappies_ the day she took blaster fire aimed at me."

The girls had the decency to look at least slightly embarrassed. Though Phasma was sure it was more to do with the fact that they'd made themselves look foolish than for suggesting that Phasma be punished.

The brunette spoke again. "But my father said-"

Hux's word were biting. "I'm sure your father has told you many things but the fact remains that the captain and I work together and I'll not be doling out punishments over some imagined slight that you've cooked up."

He pulled his arm from the blonde and looked back at Phasma. "Captain, I believe I've grown tired of this gathering and wish to retire."

She lowered her weapon so it was back in both hands. "Yes sir."

Phasma followed close behind the general but her helmet still picked up the whispered words behind her. "Stars, she follows him around like a dog."

There was an malicious laugh. "More like a bitch."

Phasma sighed in her helmet and followed the man back inside.


	5. Chapter 5

"Darling, I just don't know why you are being so insistent about this?"

Hux wasn't having any more of his mother's rudeness. "Mother, you knew she was coming and you knew that her quarters were to be placed beside mine." He walked down the pristine hallway with his mother on one side and Phasma a step behind him on the other.

Lady Hux huffed dramatically. "But Governor Fitzgerrah and his family are in _that_ room. There was no other place to _put_ them."

The general kept his face stony. "Well, Phasma will not be placed in the servant's quarters in the basement."

The captain, who had been silent up until that point tried to say something, "Sir, I-"

Hux halted in his tracks and she almost ran into him. His mother actually did run into him. He turned and helped her back upright before looking back to Phasma.

His voice brokered no argument. " _You will stop humoring her_. She may be my mother, but she's not someone that you owe _any_ respect to because she's done nothing to _earn_ it. When she acts like a child, you will treat her as such."

His mother's shrill voice cut in. "Excuse me, young man! I brought you into the world!"

Hux rounded on her and snapped back. "And you continue to live well because of it."

Her jaw dropped and her brows knitted in shock. "How can you say that? Darling…"

He shook his head and grimaced. "I am no longer a child. I ceased to be one when you sent me off to that boarding school. I am now a general of the First Order. You'll respect me and you'll respect _her._ "

He mother stuttered for a second before pointing towards Phasma. "I know she saved your life but she's just a _stormtrooper_."

Hux felt fury take hold of him and his fists clenched. His mother didn't know any better but that phrase alone said everything about why Phasma would never let him become closer to her. She was a stormtrooper and he a general. Theirs was not a love that would survive. She would be killed as an example if it got out that she had become emotionally attached to her superior officer.

His eyes eyes narrowed. "You'll _never_ say those words again."

He took a calming breath and turned and walked away, Phasma trailing behind him.

His mother didn't call after him as he lead his captain down the hall to his bedroom. Well, it was really more of a private wing. Hux pushed the door open and found all his luggage along with her armor pods placed within the sitting room.

He looked around and it was just as he remembered from his childhood. The chambers were still almost disgustingly opulent with damask wallpaper and crystal chandeliers. Ornate woodwork and columns filled out the space while overstuffed and brightly patterned furniture completed the look.

He much preferred the austere surroundings of his quarters aboard the _Actualizer_. He looked over and almost sighed. Phasma seemed fascinated by all of it and her helmet moved in subtle way that said she was trying to look as much as possible without letting him know. He should have guessed that she'd like the pretty baubles found within his family estate. Few girls could keep their eyes off the ostentatious signs of his wealth.

He looked around. "Phasma, through that door is an office but it has a daybed. So you will have some privacy. And the bathroom is through there."

Taking this time to show her everything. It was all very domestic and new for him. He'd not shared quarters with anyone since his academy days. And Phasma seemed new to the lavish furnishings that he'd grown up with. Her helmet moved around as she took everything in. He pointed out anything else important and she nodded and took her pods into the room. She came back out carrying one under her arm and he nodded to her as she made her way back towards where he'd indicated the restroom was.

She was only in there a moment before coming back out. She stood in the doorway for a second and seemed uncomfortable. He thought she might be a embarrassed, but over what, he didn't know.

Finally she spoke. "Sir... I…"

"What's the problem, captain?"

The helmet was tilted down. "I've never used liquid-based bathing facilities."

Hux blinked. "Never used…"

Of course she hadn't. 'Freshers were standard equipment for troopers. All they had to do was step in and then they could be back in their armor within minutes. Water was a resource not to be wasted on such things as bathing, especially in space.

The general nodded and walked into the room. "Come. I'll show you."

He lead her over to the glass enclosure and pointed to the handles. "Turn that one for cold water and that one for hot."

She was quiet before repeating. " _Hot_ water…?"

Hux nodded. "Yes, cold showers are unpleasant so you add hot water to make the temperature more comfortable. And when you're done, use the towels there to dry off before getting dressed again."

She looked over at the towels before nodding. "Understood, sir."

He inclined his head and left her to it, closing the door behind him. Hux shook his head and walked into his own bedroom and began to pull out his uniforms and hang them up in the steam room. A few minutes later, he heard the shower start and he sat down on the sofa to read.

 _Thirty minutes_ later the water still hadn't shut off and he was beginning to wonder if she was having a problem. Perhaps she couldn't get the water off and was too embarrassed to ask about it. His eyes narrowed and he got up. He stood outside the door for a few seconds before knocking.

He kept his voice low so as not to startle her. "Phasma, are you alright in there?"

She didn't answer and he grimaced. He called her again but still no answer through the door. Hux looked down at the ornate swirling doorknob as if it was a snake that would bite him. He took a steadying breath before he reached over and turned it, opening the door slightly.

He called into the room. "Captain!"

He heard movement followed by a panicked voice. "Sir, I'm fine!"

He let out a breath. "Apologies for disturbing you, I was concerned."

"There's no need, sir."

Hux stepped back and shut the door.

He'd heard her voice...without the interference of the transmitter from her helmet. Her true voice. She'd been embarrassed apparently, but he smiled. _He'd heard her voice_.

He went back to his room and stayed there the rest of the evening. He heard Phasma turn the water off and eventually exit the backroom but he didn't try to speak with her the rest of the evening. She would be incredibly embarrassed that he'd heard her. Trooper regulations did not allow for them to remove their helmets in front of anyone but other troopers and medical personnel, excepting in cases of emergency.

The next day, he dressed in one of his uniforms and spent the majority of his time reading in the study while his mother clucked away somewhere entertaining the guests who had stayed with them the night before. Hux loved the study. It was filled with hundreds of real paper books bound in leather. He'd spent many a childhood day within the room marveling at the beauty of the illustrations and the exquisite penmanship of peoples long dead.

Phasma stood by the door and he could tell she had muted the transmitter in her helmet so as not to disturb him. Her helmet moved subtly as she spoke, relaying orders and taking notes down on a pad. He'd have offered her a seat if he thought she would accept it.

They spent hours this way in comfortable silence before his mother's ginger head popped through the door. She looked between them as if studying them for some kind of hidden explanation for last night's... incident.

She said nothing regarding that and smiled brightly at her son. "Darling, we're about to leave for the funeral."

If she smiled any wider regarding her late husband's death, people would begin to talk. But his mother hadn't been overly fond of her husband, either. The man wasn't around enough to develop that kind of attachment. He sighed and got up.

Despite the 'celebration' his mother had thrown the night before, the funeral was a quiet affair. Phasma stayed by his side through it all. At first, she'd made the move to step back and give he and his mother some semblance of privacy but he'd only needed to quietly mutter, "stay," and she'd stepped back into his space.

They moved through the crowd and the sea of people parted before them as they left the service, shaking hands as they went. Hux did not miss his father. The man had been aloof and quite far removed from the affairs of his son. Hux had spent his childhood at a boarding school and then at the academy. He'd only seen the man twice a year for the first sixteen years of his life. And the closest thing he'd ever received to a bought of fatherly affection was a hand on his shoulder during a photo op when he'd graduated from the academy first in his class.

And after he'd joined the First Order, he'd seen the man only at formal gatherings and Admiral Hux returned home only rarely. _But_ , Hux thought as the land vehicle took them back to his home, _for some reason he still felt a sense of loss_. It wasn't the familial feeling of losing a beloved family member. It rather more specifically had to do with the fact that he hadn't yet accomplished more than his father had in his life. Hux had always dreamed of surpassing his father and having the old man see it and know that he'd had nothing to do with Hux's own triumph.

The vehicle pulled up in front of the mansion. The driver and Phasma got out of the front first before the back doors were opened for he and his mother. He allowed them to go on ahead of him and his mother turned back.

Her voice was gentle. "Are you not coming inside?"

Hux shook his head. "No, I think I'm going to go for a drive."

His mother had an understanding look on her face and Phasma turned to follow him back to the vehicle.

He held out his hand. "No, I'll be back in a bit, Phasma."

She took another step forward. "Sir…"

He shook his head. "I'll be back later."

She looked at him a second longer before nodding and answering. "Yes, sir."

* * *

I entered the Reylo Big Bang. That being said I'm going to try to get the sequel, Beneath the Veil out before I get too heavily involved in that. I'm about halfway through the outline as of now. Thank you to my editors, Sarah and Kristen, for litening to me bellyache about my writing woes. :)


	6. Chapter 6

Phasma watched the man leave, unsure. The vehicle pulled away from the drive and began moving further from the house. She found it hard to look away as the the vehicle got smaller and smaller.

The general's mother came to stand beside her. Her voice was soft. "Don't worry, dear. He used to do this all the time. The driver just takes him around the countryside for a couple of hours and then he'll be back. It happens when he has a lot on his mind."

Phasma turned back to Lady Hux. Since the night before she could see Gwendolyn Hux was making an effort to be polite. Though it surprised the captain that that courtesy extended to when the general wasn't around. Regardless, Phasma needed reassurance. "He will be safe?"

Lady Hux nodded, her arms coming up to cross over her ample bosom. "Very. Our estate is quite large and it's fully gated and guarded. They don't leave the property."

Phasma looked again at the shrinking image of the vehicle before nodding and turning back to Lady Hux. "If I might inconvenience you."

The woman's brows drew up in surprise. "Yes, dear?"

Phasma did not let any kind of embarrassment color her words. "I need to launder my... underarmor and have not had a chance to do so since arriving."

The woman's mouth made an 'O' of surprise. "Ah! Well, come along, I'll show you where you can drop that off and the servants will take care of it."

Phasma hesitated. "Before the general returns?"

Lady Hux turned back to her, eyebrows raised but she smiled. "I think we can do that."

The captain nodded. "You have my thanks."

They walked through the mansion and Phasma still marveled. Even though she had walked this very hall, there were still new things that she noticed. Vases of fresh cut flowers on dark wood side tables and ancient paintings in gold-gilded frames lined the walls. She wasn't sure if they were in fact new items that the Lady had had put out or if Phasma had just not seen them before. Either option was a possibility.

Lady Hux lead her deep into the bowels of the mansion and they came to a simple white door. She pulled on a tassel that hung from the ceiling and the door opened immediately. "Oh! Madam! Is something the matter?" It was a matronly older woman who had a bit of sweat beading her forehead but was dressed well.

Lady Hux waved her off. "No, no. Everything is fine. I simply wanted to show Captain Phasma here where she could find our laundry facilities so that she can speak to you herself in the future if needed."

Phasma could not _fathom_ a need to ever set foot in this home again but nodded anyway.

Lady Hux smiled and continued. "The captain needs some of her clothing laundered with all due haste. She is staying in my _son's_ room so if you could send one of the girls upstairs to collect her things in a few minutes, that would be ideal."

The woman nodded and Phasma thanked them both before turning to leave. She heard the door shut and a few seconds later, Lady Hux's voice stopped her. "He's never seen your face, has he?"

Phasma did not turn around. She merely stated. "A trooper is never to be without his or her helmet at any time unless they are in the barracks or in need of medical assistance."

"That means no."

Phasma said nothing in response to that but added. "Again, my thanks, Lady Hux."

She walked away and didn't hear the general's mother follow behind her as she climbed the stairs back up into the main floor of the house. It was only a few minutes later that she was able to enter the general's private chambers. Phasma looked around and noted that she would need to visit reconditioning after this trip. The very idea of a stormtrooper entering the quarters of a general much less sharing the space with him...

The captain shed her armor before pulling the fabric pieces off. They stunk of expensive perfumes from the funeral and her nose twitched. But it wasn't those pieces that needed cleaning. She hadn't brought a second set of her underthings with her as the trip had been unplanned and she'd somehow forgotten. There was a knock so she hastily pulled the pants and shirt back on before opening the door.

The girl's eyes widened as she looked over Phasma. The captain raised a brow but said nothing as the girl silently took the clothing and she shut the door.

Phasma looked over the room, unsure what to do with her time. She would not leave the room until her underthings had been returned. Her eyes glided over the doorway to the bathroom… She liked the shower… And the likelihood of her having the chance to experience one again was fairly slim. It was only a bending the rules a bit to indulge. She stripped again but carried the clothing with her into the bathroom. She would definitely need a reconditioning session when she returned to the destroyer.

* * *

Hux entered his home again not thirty minutes after he'd left. Damn newbie driver had no idea that when he said, "Just drive." He meant, "Just drive and don't talk to me." He shook his head in annoyance as he walked down the hallway, passing his mother's study.

He couldn't help the snippet of conversation he heard. The servant girl really needed to learn to keep her voice down.

"...Beautiful short blond hair and she's actually very pretty and her skin is like milk, not a mark or freckle to be seen!"

His mother's voice had been thoughtful. A tone he rarely heard from the woman. "This might be something we can work with."

Hux rolled his eyes. No doubt some blonde debutante would be making her debut to him soon. It was enough to drive a man mad. And obviously he was almost there because as he walked away he could have sworn he heard his mother say something to the effect of "stormtrooper children are better than no children at all, I suppose." But he must have misheard.

Hus shook his head at his mother's antics but left her to it as he walked down the hall and up the stairs to his quarters. Phasma would be there, he was sure. Afterall, where else would she go?

He entered the outer room expecting to see her but she wasn't there. He looked around and even knocked on the door to her room but received no answer. His eyes narrowed and he was about to leave to go question his mother when he heard it. He turned back and looked towards the bathroom. The door was slightly ajar and the shower was running.

She was taking another shower? He smiled. It was a luxury that he hadn't realized himself was so great until he'd had to deal with only the First Order 'freshers for the last ten years. Hux took a step closer and looked at the sliver of light coming from the inch or so of the opening.

He felt his heart rate pick up and he took a breath. He shouldn't do it. Phasma wanted privacy and didn't deserve to be gawked at by her superior officer. But his feet took him closer and he thought he probably wouldn't see anything anyway. His eye came to the opening and he caught a glimpse of peachy skin. Hux pulled his head away. He should leave.

But he leaned in again, looking through the gap.

She stood there under the spray and really he couldn't keep his eyes off her even if he'd wanted to. She faced away from him and he got a full view of her pale creamy back that gracefully curved into an hourglass waist and full buttocks. Her long legs gently sloped downwards and he yearned to touch them...

Hux backed away quickly and quietly exited the room and his quarters. He panted outside and looked around at all the doors that lead to other private suites. He knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to find an empty bedroom where he could lock the door and bring himself off with the image of her burned into his retinas. But that was unseemly. She deserved more respect than that.

He got his breathing under control, as well as other parts of him. He could still hear his mother talking downstairs and that was enough to put him off any other thoughts concerning his trooper captain. Hux walked back down the stairs and saw the servant girl from before leaving his mother's study. She jumped when she saw him and hastily greeted him. He inclined his head and she scurried off. Hux raised a brow at her retreating back before entering his mother's study.

Lady Hux looked up from her pad and her widened when she saw him. "Oh! I thought you'd be gone far longer."

Hux shrugged. "I had intended it to be so but the new driver doesn't take the right path and it was distracting more than anything else so I decided to return."

She looked away from him. "Oh…"

Hux looked at her for a moment. "Is something the matter, mother?"

His mother hesitated. "It's only that...I know the captain values her...privacy. We are currently laundering some of her things so I hope you haven't gone upstairs."

He narrowed his eyes and examined the overly concerned tone of her voice. She said that, but he got the distinct impression that, in fact, she hoped he had. Which made little sense so he said. "No. I came to greet you first, mother."

She pursed her lips but still said, "Oh. Good, good."


	7. Chapter 7

Hux couldn't stop the soft sigh of relief when the shuttle landed aboard the _Actualizer_. He'd only been gone a few days but much could happen in that short a span. They'd apparently taken on several new squads of stormtroopers to replace the ones lost so far during the invasion. And Jecek Ren had made himself scarce while Hux had been away. He'd apparently been able to retrieve more of the surveillance footage of the scavenger girl as she'd moved through Star Killer Base before its destruction.

The general would have been concerned that such footage existed except that he had several well-paid technicians spread through the fleet erasing anything incriminating. Hux still didn't understand the man's focus on the girl. Perhaps he was curious about someone who had so thoroughly embarrassed his mentor that the master of the Knights of Ren had felt compelled to leave everything and everyone behind to track her down again.

As it was Jecek came to meet them at the hanger.

"Your return is welcome news, general. We have been waiting for you before moving on to the next planet."

Hux felt his eyes widen fractionally. "I believe I gave the order to continue along without me. There was no need to halt the Order's plans simply for my personal absence." Jecek was even harder to read behind that mask than Kylo.

The knight inclined his head. "That was not an acceptable outcome. The Supreme Leader believes you are a vital piece in the war effort and to exclude you even from one battle would be an insult to your rank."

Hux's eyes narrowed. Jecek had always been quietly polite but he'd never been one for flattery. "Is there something I can help you with, Jecek?"

The knight snorted behind the mask. "It is gratifying that my master's confidence in your intelligence was not misplaced. I was only able to get some of the security footage from Star Killer before its destruction. Much of the footage I am seeking has been placed under a security code. Your security code."

"What of it?"

"I would like you to unlock the footage so that I can view it."

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"Why?"

"Much of that is classified material and can not be viewed without the Supreme Leader's express permission." Jecek was silent so Hux continued. "I assume since you're asking me, you can not receive that, yourself." Which meant that Jecek Ren's little security vid rewind sessions were not an authorized use of his time. Hux smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help to you."

Jecek said nothing but inclined his head and left. Hux couldn't help letting a touch of his disgust show. The knights had their uses - they kept the rabble in line. But the way they swept around as if they were the Supreme Leader himself was utterly repugnant to a man who had had to work to earn his rank rather than be born with some magical Force to help him complete a few parlor tricks.

And stars only knew what Kylo Ren was up to. Probably stalking that scavenger like the petulant brat that he was. It was odd that no one had heard from him. It had been almost six months since he'd left Korriban. Perhaps he'd gone and dropped dead somewhere. Perhaps the girl had killed him. Would Jecek somehow know if that happened?

Hux shivered at the idea of having someone in his head like that. He and Phasma continued on into the ship until she broke away from him and turned down the hallway he knew lead to the reconditioning area. He scowled at her retreating back but said nothing.

 _Not for months._

Not until _he_ showed up. PF-9825 was as tall as Phasma, towering over the others in his unit. He stood out as well due to the blue pauldron of the sniper class. Further investigation showed that he had one of the best ranked service records with the third highest kill rate amongst the millions of 'troopers in the First Order. PF-9825 shared a batch number with Phasma which meant they were raised together before being assigned to different tracts.

Hux was first made aware of this 'trooper when he'd been leaving the hangar after giving a speech to the new 'troops that had arrived to fill out their ranks. Phasma was staying behind to act as the ringleader when herding them all to the barracks.

The general had halted in his tracks when he'd heard the voice say, "PF-9064 or is it Captain Phasma now."

Her voice had been almost… friendly. "Whichever desegnation you feel more comfortable with."

"I like Phasma."

That had caused Hux to actually turn around and spot the hulking 'trooper who stood visor to visor with Phasma. Of course he'd seen taller 'troopers before but this one was standing _close_ to her. And it seemed like he knew her. Hux narrowed his eyes but resumed his exit.

* * *

Jecek was doing that thing where he stared at nothing for hours on end and Hux tried not to be too creeped out. At this point, he actually missed Kylo Ren and his back-talking with a side of back-stabbing. Hux shuddered and looked down at his pad. Several more squads were being dispatched down to the planet they were currently liberating. The natives apparently weren't too happy to receive the gift of an orderly government and they preferred the chaos of the Republic.

He looked up at Jecek before looking back down at the pad. Perhaps, he'd make his way down there and see the brave soldiers off. It would be quite the moral booster. And it would get him away from that creeping gargoyle in the corner.

Hux made his intentions known and stepped out. The general let out a small breath as the door closed behind him and he began walking towards the hangar. To get there he passed by the detention block and, so intent on his mission, he nearly missed her. Phasma stood in a hallway off to the side. Hux was about to announce his presence when he spotted the tall 'trooper with the blue pauldron.

"Phasma, you need to stop with the reconditioning. It's not healthy."

Hux backed away but stood close enough to hear her answer. "I've been assured by the head of that department that every two months will ensure no lasting damage."

The general could hear the exasperation in the 'trooper's voice. "That's not the point. You aren't _you_ anymore."

Her tone was flat. "I am a captain of this ship. Before I was just a squad trainee. Of course I'm not the same as I was."

Hux felt like a child spying on his parents when he let his head turn around the corner so he could watch them.

The sniper was shaking his head. "It's more than that. You never liked reconditioning when we were younger. You hated it just like everyone else. Is it the general? Is he making you do it?"

Hux bit back a snarl. _As if he would ever have her do such a thing._

Phasma was silent for a few seconds before responding. "The general is a great man. He has responsibilities to the Order and his full attention lies with his duties and not with regulating the personal choices of stormtroopers."

The sniper pointed toward her. "But you aren't just any 'trooper. Not anymore. You wear this chrome armor on his order and he gave you a _name_. No other 'trooper has a name. Not a real one. You were and still are the talk of the barracks. All of the barracks. Every 'trooper fights to be assigned to this ship under you and under the general who respects you enough to make you unique."

"General Hux does things that are in the best interests of the First Order. I assure you, the gossip is incorrect. He merely has made it easier on himself to find me when I am needed and so he doesn't have to memorize my number."

Hux gritted his teeth. That had _better not_ be what she really thought.

PF-9825 backed up a step. "You... he's not ordering you to do the conditioning but you're doing it _because_ of him."

Her words were clipped. "This conversation is _over_."

The sniper reached out and stopped her. "He may respect you but you're still just a 'trooper. We mean nothing to any of them except how many bodies they can throw at a problem until the enemy is overwhelmed, nevermind how many of us perish in the process."

She whirled on him. "That sounds an awful lot like treason."

He didn't let go. "It's not treason. It's the truth. I will do my duty and I will die for the First Order but I will not lie to myself about what it is I do."

She pulled her arm away, looking at him. But he just made a sound of disgust before turning and leaving. Hux looked at Phasma as she stood there and heard the vague sound of her sighing.

Hux watched her for a minute but could not bring himself to go to her and knew she would not appreciate finding out that he'd listened to her conversation. He closed his eyes, turned, and left her there.

The general was in a haze for much of the remaining day and completed his tasks almost mechanically. He never saw Phasma and he wondered if she even cared about what that 'trooper had said or if she was so numb due to the reconditioning that it didn't even phase her.

He had watched her use the reconditioning like a crutch for the last five years. Perhaps it was time that he did something about it. He turned that thought over and over again in his mind throughout the day.

Hux's shift eventually ended and he looked at his comm and sighed. His mother had called him multiple times the last few days and this new message said she was going to sign a marriage contract on his behalf if he didn't call her back. The general reluctantly typed in her ID code. She picked up instantly as if she'd been waiting by the phone. Perhaps she had. He cringed at the very idea.

Her face filled the screen and her orange curls were pulled into an elaborate braided confection of awful. "Yes, mother."

She didn't smile at him but she didn't look angry, assuredly due to the 'fixes' he knew she was having done. "About bloody time, Teodorek."

He hated to be called that and she knew it, so she was definitely annoyed with him. "What can I help you with, mother?"

His mother huffed and held up a pad to the screen as if he could see what was on it. "I acquired the medical file of a certain blonde lady-"

Hux pinched the bridge of his nose. "Mother, I'm not getting married."

But she waved him off. "Oh, I don't require that any more."

He immediately looked up, his brows knitted in confusion. Now that was new. "Then why are you looking at a lady's medical files?"

She seemed overly smug now that she had gotten his full attention. "I needed to be sure that nothing... permanent has been done that would inhibit conceiving or carrying your heir to term. But it looks like she just gets injections so she's honestly good to go."

His eyes widened and he couldn't keep the confusion from his voice. "What _are_ you talking about?"

She tutted at him. "Keep up, darling. PF-9064 has an _exemplary_ record and after meeting her personally, I find her presence not intolerable. She can carry the child to term here and either remain to raise it or leave it with me."

Hux felt his jaw drop open and he was at a complete loss for words. His mother continued on. "I was able to locate a recent photo of her without the helmet and she's actually quite lovely. Good bone structure and with that height, my grandson will be quite the _imposing_ individual."

He resisted the urge to ask her, _as opposed to what_.

Hux took a calming breath and swallowed. "Mother, you can not be serious".

That brought her up short. "Son, I thought you'd be happy."

His eye twitched as he got closer to the screen and his words came out in a hissing jumble. "How could you possibly think I would be happy with this!"

Lady Hux shrugged. "Well, you've never shown any interest in any of the girls I've presented to you and you _aren't gay_. I _checked_. And after you brought your captain around to the house, It's become fairly obvious that you have feelings for her. I thought I would let you know you have my approval."

The general gritted his teeth. "Something like that would destroy her career. If she were even allowed to _live_ after birthing the child."

His mother looked at him, her eyes half-lidded in thought. "Then perhaps you should do something about the rules."

Hux resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I am a general. I am not the Supreme Lead-"

She shook her head. "I realize that I may not look a day over twenty-five but I assure you, I've been around long enough to see Republics, Emperors, and Supreme Leaders all rise _and fall._ If you want to change things, _Hux_ , you need to make sure you are ready for the inevitable shift in power."

This was a side to his mother that he'd rarely seen. "Mother, no one can hear you say something like that."

She looked at him intently. "If you want that captain of yours… I will simply tell you again what I told you when you left for the academy. Choose your allies well. Be loyal to them and they will be loyal to you. Because Snoke's end is coming. The writing has been on the wall for some time."

Hux grimaced but nodded. He didn't know who or what would take Snoke's place but he'd begin his own preparations for that end. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but the knights were where the power laid. They were the enforcers of the Supreme Leader and there were possibly thousands of them spread across the galaxy, watching and waiting.

* * *

Hux watched as the carriers left the _Actualizer_. They would ferry his forces down onto the surface of the rebelling planet. Well, perhaps rebelling was too strong a word. Moderately discontented, perhaps. He'd refrained from giving a speech to the parting 'troops and he felt only slightly bereft at being denied one of the few 'perks' of his job.

He still heard snippets of his monologue from Star Killer Base every once in awhile. It was usually followed by sniggering of some kind at the fact that the base had blown up under his watch. But he'd learned from situation and thus kept the speeches to a minimum, only welcoming new 'troops.

Phasma stood beside him, watching, and they would soon board their own shuttle along with Jecek Ren. The knight had been more absent of late since reports had come in of a dead knight. Hux, himself had seen the vids. A man and woman, both veiled, using lightsabers to attack and kill the Knight as he attempted to take a Force-sensitive child. It was all over the 'net and it wasn't a leap in insight to figure out that the female was the scavenger while the male was Kylo Ren.

He wasn't using his usual crossguard red saber, but two blue ones and the girl used a staff. She had almost defeated the knight herself, but a 'trooper had blasted her. Had Kylo Ren turned on them, Hux wondered? It would explain the veiled face and the new sabers. And Jecek had been curiously silent about the entire incident.

A few minutes later, he received word that the capital was ready to surrender. The general nodded and boarded the shuttle along with Phasma and Ren. A small 'troop followed them in and the ship took off.

Jecek stood in front of him during the journey and he could not help but examine the differences between the two. The longer he was around this knight, the more the differences between he and Kylo became glaring. Kylo was predictable in an odd sort of way and rarely given to planning much more than his meals for the day. He did his job haphazardly and with little preparation. Kylo also liked to talk… A lot.

Jecek was almost diametrically opposed in philosophy and action. He'd never seen the knight lose his temper or draw his weapon. And while Kylo removed his mask on occasion, he'd yet to see Jecek without the facial apparel. It was unnerving and Hux hated that he felt on edge every time the man entered a room. Jecek seemed to be thinking of something as they rode down the planet, not having greeted Hux at all, which would have normally offended him but now just made him shrug.

They arrived at the planet and took whatever precious relic denoted power amongst the people of this world before handing it off to Phasma for safe keeping. Everything was going according to the usual procedure until Jecek broke from their group and walked off. Hux looked after the man as he scanned the crowd of people. They backed away from him as a school of fish from a shark. All except one. A little girl clad in threadbare rags, held together with nothing but a prayer, stood there and looked up at him.

Hux watched, as did everyone, as Jecek came down on one knee and was eye level with the little girl. "You have the Force…"

Her dirty face tilted. "I don't know what that is."

His words were quieter than Hux had ever heard. "I'll teach you."

The knight held out his hand and the girl looked at it for a long moment and it seemed something passed between them because she reached up and put her hand in his.

Jecek stood up and looked down at her. "Do you have anyone who would look for you?"

She shook her head sadly. "No."

The knight nodded and lead the little girl back to them but said nothing to Hux in justification for his actions.

 _Is that why you're here, Jecek? To steal children?_

He hadn't said it but Jecek turned to look at him all the same and answered. "Those with the connection to the Force must be taught or they will become a threat later on."

Hux had a flash of the scavenger girl that Kylo Ren had run off to find but he knew it hadn't been his own thought. His lip trembled only slightly when he realized that the knight had read his mind but he hadn't felt the tell-tale itch. He nodded and Jecek turned away to begin walking back to the shuttle. Hux had not guarded his thoughts in some time. What else had the knight been picking up from him?

* * *

The highlight of my day was watching my two editors go at it over who Rey should end up with at the end of Beneath the Veil. Still haven't decided...


	8. Chapter 8

Hux was overlooking the technicians on the bridge as they plotted a course to the next planet to be liberated from the crumbling republic when he felt Jecek enter the bridge. The man was shadowed by the little girl and Hux wasn't sure what her designation or classification was. He felt ignoring her presence was best.

Jecek stepped closer to him. "I've been meaning to speak to you regarding something."

Hux was taken aback. Jecek never wanted to speak to him regarding anything. Hux nodded as he stared at the fathomless dark visor.

Jecek looked out through the viewport and into space. "The girl...the scavenger that Kylo Ren left to find. What do you know about her?"

Hux blinked and searched his mind. "I don't know much, really. I, myself, never saw her. She defeated Ren's mind techniques which I've never seen before and it agitated him… more so than usual."

The knight hummed. "I reviewed the security and interrogation footage. And also the incident with Gruthdin Ren. She is… impressive."

Hux raised a brow. It was as much an admission that Kylo had killed his own knight as anything else. "I assume Kylo Ren felt as you do and that's why he abandoned the Order."

The helmet turned sharply and the words were quiet. "Master Kylo has not abandoned the Order."

Hux was unimpressed. "He has been gone for seven months already without a word only to pop up again with that girl and begin attacking his own knight? What else would you call it? Unless he's as useless at persuasion as he is with interrogating slave girls."

Hux, himself, had never been on the receiving end of one of the knight's choking the life from someone. He was pulled forward and fingers wrapped around his throat but the Force squeezing him was far stronger than just Jecek's hand. His vision was whiteing as he clawed at the gloved appendage.

He saw Jacek raise his other arm and heard the crash of armor onto the ground but the cold dark stare of the visor never left his sight. A blaster bolt was fired toward the knight but it stopped inches away from hitting him. A few more seconds passed and Hux found himself unable to even hold his arms up to struggle.

But all at once, it was over and he dropped like a stone onto the ground. He coughed heavily as he struggled to bring precious oxygen back into his burning lungs. His eyes were watery and red and he looked up to see the knight standing still over him, the light of the blaster bolt illuminating the metal design inlaid into his mask.

Jecek Ren spoke evenly as if he hadn't just almost killed a general of the First Order. "Kylo Ren may have found your insolence amusing. I do not."

Jecek crouched down so that his visor was close to Hux and his mask tilted a few different ways as if he needed to see Hux at different angles.

The knight's tone was soft and almost soothing through the modulator. "I hear your thoughts. I know your opinions on my mentor. You can hide nothing from me. I tolerate your sneering inside your mind and everyday I resist the urge to crush your skull in like a soup can. I feel this is quite the concession on my part and I've never asked for anything in return for this exercise in self-restraint." He stopped and took a quiet breath before leaning in closer. "But now I must insisted that you earn that concession. Keep your thoughts to yourself and do not speak of my master in such a way again."

Hux nodded quickly and Jecek inclined his head. "I'm glad we understand one another."

The knight got up and walked unhurriedly from the room, the little girl trailing behind him. It was silent on the bridge until the blaster bolt exploded into a console and Phasma came stumbling to his side.

He looked towards her and his eyes narrowed. Her chest plate was all but shattered and there was a large crack down the front of her helmet.

"Sir, are you alright?" He shook his head because he was fine but blood was dripping down from beneath her chrome mask.

He reached out. "Phasma, you're bleeding."

Her head tilted as if unsure how to respond. She went with ignoring him. "Sir, you're in shock. I am taking you to the medical bay."

He blinked several times. "I… Yes of course."

She helped him to stand and by then he was fine so he shrugged off her arm around him. He had already been made to look weak in front of the entire bridge crew. He wouldn't compound the issue but limping off under the strength of his captain.

He left the bridge with as much dignity as he could muster despite the pain around his neck. Phasma followed behind him, her presence comforting even in the face of his own embarrassment. They entered the medical bay and the doctor working there looked up and spotted them. Hux had no idea what his name was.

He rushed to their side. "General, is anything the matter?"

Hux pulled his collar down exposing his raw and bruised throat and the man's eyes widened fractionally. "Sir! What happened."

The general grimaced. "It's not important."

The man looked him over critically before eyeing Phasma but nodded and didn't question him further. Hux removed his jacket and sat down on the bed while the doctor went and retrieved some ointment and a datapad.

He came back and sat down on a floating stool, pen in hand. "I need to know exactly what happened."

He really didn't, Hux thought and was about to say so when Phasma took the datapad and pen. "I will fill this out."

The doctor drew himself up. "Madam-"

Her helmet shot up. "Captain."

The doctor made a vague expression of disgust. "Captain then. That is for the personal medical evaluation for the general. You can not just fill it out for him."

Hux raised a brow. "She can."

The doctor looked at him. "Sir, I must protest."

The general snorted. "And I must have no record of this incident. Thankfully, only one of us is bound for disappointment."

The man looked mutinous but said nothing more as he took out the tubes of bacta and began applying them liberally to the skin. Hux grimaced in pain and he was thankful his uniform had a high collar so most of the bruising would be covered up.

He looked over at Phasma, wondering if he could catch his reflection in her armor and he almost had to do a double-take. The damage to her chest plate and helmet were more severe than he'd thought. She seemed fine - at least she didn't act like she was in pain - but he had to wonder if that was really the case.

The doctor finished and began to take a few notes when Hux spoke up. "See to her now."

The man looked up at him and then around as if searching for whomever he was talking about before his gaze landed on Phasma. his eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared. "Sir, I don't specialize in 'trooper medicine. She will find all required medical care at the barrack's clinic." Hux's head tilted as he digested the word. He shouldn't be surprised but he found that he was. Phasma was worth a hundred, no a thousand stormtroopers.

He scowled. "You will treat her. Now."

The doctor raised a brow and his chin raised but he followed the order none the less. "If you'll follow me, mad-ehem-Captain."

Phasma looked between them for a few seconds before putting the pad down onto the bed and following the man to another triage station. Hux watched as the doctor instructed her to remove her shattered armor.

She sat still and didn't look at Hux. "Please draw the curtain."

The doctor nodded. It was unseemly for higher-ups to see the faces of stormtroopers. If a face was known, an attachment could grow. Hux could only look on as the curtain was pulled and she was taken from his view.

He could hear the clanging and scraping as she removed the armor and Hux pulled out his pad and notified the quartermaster to bring a set of 'trooper armor in her size to the med bay and also he commissioned another chrome set to replace this one. He added that this next one needed a layer of durasteel.

The general heard the doctor asking her questions and his eyes closed as he heard her voice undiluted for only the second time. She spoke with the cool soft tones of a Coruscanti lady rather than the harsh vowels of the average 'trooper. Her file had said that she'd been on the command track from childhood so she'd been educated by the upper crust of instructors.

He heard the comment. "This cut is quite deep."

She didn't seem phased. "Stitch it."

The man chuckled a bit. "You will have quite the scar to show off to your comrades."

Something about that didn't sit right with Hux. He knew she was probably covered in scars but he could not bear to be the cause of yet another.

He called out. "She will not."

Silence reigned on the other side of the curtain before the doctor answered. "Sir, 'troopers are not cleared for grafting gel. It's an expensive resource."

Hux felt his irritation rise. "I didn't say to use it on her. I have massive cut here. It was used on that."

The doctor huffed. "Sir! What you are asking…"

He was done. "I'm not asking. That's an order. Use the gel."

Hux didn't need to see the man to know he was probably glaring daggers through the curtain.

There was a rattled of a tray and it was at that point that Hux heard it. It was a small thing. Barely noticeable. The sound of Phasma in pain.

Hux's eyes widened. That bloody doctor. He was up like a shot and he pulled the curtain back, prepared to see the man stitching her anyway.

What he found was her on her back, her chest bare but for the dark bindings around her breasts. There were cuts going from her stomach to her neck and face. The doctor had the applicator for the gel a few inches from a rather deep gouge across Phasma's cheek. Hux remembered then that grafting gel burned. Burned like a white hot iron over the skin as it melted the flesh together.

Her eyes were pressed shut and a tear had leaked out. Her fingers were digging into the bed. He took a sharp breath. She was… prettier than he'd thought she would be, truthfully. Even as her teeth dug into her bottom lip, he could see it was plump and perfectly pink. Her skin was pale which was to be expected but she had scars over her stomach, legs and arms. He recognized the blaster bolt burn on her side from the first time she'd saved him and almost reached out to touch it.

Her eyes snapped open. The doctor had stopped applying the gel and was looking over at him. Hux's eyes met her's and he saw a red flush creeping up her neck and onto her face. She looked absolutely horrified and it dawned on him exactly what he'd just done.

They stared at each other for a few more seconds before conscious thought returned to him and he slowly pulled the curtain back to hide her from his sight. He took a breath and turned back to his bed. He didn't say anything more as he dressed again.

General Hux made himself look as presentable as possible before making his way to the door and leaving without another word.

* * *

DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUNNN!


	9. Chapter 9

Hux didn't see Phasma for months. Her reports all came over the 'net and she did not accompany him on his trips to the planets they were conqu- _liberating_. He could have ordered her to show up and they both knew it. But he couldn't bring himself to do such a thing after violating her privacy as he had.

Jecek, however, was _always_ around. The knight was there with him on the bridge and on planet side missions more than before. And without Phasma's presence, it seemed as though the man had stepped into that shadowing role. If Hux didn't know any better, he'd almost think the knight was feeling guilty for having almost killed him. As it was, Jecek was standing beside him as the shuttle carried them down to the newest edition to the First Order territory.

It still surprised him that Jecek had even done such a thing. He'd always been almost placid in comparison to Kylo. And Hux immediately dropped that line of thought when he remembered that Jecek was only a few feet from him.

"Your captain has been hiding from you... again."

Hux looked up at the knight. "It's none of your business."

The knight snorted. "No, I suppose it isn't but watching the pair of you dance around one another is almost nauseating."

Hux grimaced. _What dancing_. She wasn't even around. "Then don't watch."

The knight chuckled and Hux's eye twitched. "You could have killed her that day."

At this, Jecek turned to look at him. "She was in no danger of dying."

Hux's words were sharper than he'd have liked. "Her armor was shattered. That requires enough force to kill a person."

Jecek looked away and his voice returned to that soft tone. "She shattered it herself."

Hux's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

The knight shrugged. "I didn't hold her down hard enough to damage her. She pushed at me hard enough to damage herself. I could hear her distress through the Force. She thought I was going to kill you."

Hux's eyes narrowed as he turned that over in his mind. That she would shatter her own armor trying to get to him. But he'd have to contemplate that later. The ship had landed and the ramp began to lower

Jecek sighed. "What must it be like to be a normal human... to be so caught up in just your own mind and have no means to convey your true emotions to one another. Sounds exhausting."

Hux shot the knight a look of pure annoyance but Jecek only walked away and onto the planet. This one had been one of their more problematic planets, refusing to give in to the might of the First Order. Around them the crowds of people watched them and none were pleased with their forced surrender. There were extra stormtroopers posted around them in case the natives became restless.

He normally wouldn't have cared about the rabble but Jecek seemed to be on edge and that was not something that Hux was comfortable with. They met the leader and signed a few papers and Hux presented the man with a seal of the Order. It was accepted and Hux nodded shortly before turning to leave.

He hated doing this. Going down to these dirty ungrateful planets filled with dirty ungrateful people who didn't seem to realize that being within the protection of the First Order meant access to trade and jobs. He was so caught up in his own internal grousing that he didn't even have a chance to duck when a blaster bolt fired from the crowd came towards him. His hands came up to shield his face in an automatic motion, though it would have done him little good… if the bolt had hit him. Several seconds after what should have been his death, his eyes blinked open and his arms dropped slightly so he could see why he wasn't dead. The blaster bolt was there in front of him, hanging in midair inches from his face. He hastily moved out of the way and he could do nothing but look at the glowing blue energy bolt as it shook.

The 'troopers surrounded him and he heard screaming as they called for everyone to get down while pointing their blasters at the crowd. Hux looked at the cowering people, many of the crying in the face of the wrath of the First Order.

He stepped around the stormtroopers calling out. "Which of you wretches was it?"

No one stepped forward and his voice became even more heated. "Ah! A coward then? Well, the First Order does not tolerate disobedience. And if the culprit will not come out and accept his fate then there is a very easy solution to my dilemma." He turned to the 'troopers. "Kill them all."

The 'troopers raised their blasters and prepared to fire.

"Hold that order."

Hux looked over to see Jecek walking towards them. "This is none of your concern, Ren."

Jecek looked over at him. "I will find your attacker."

Hux's nostrils flared in anger but he said nothing else as Jecek examined the crying and desperate people. He didn't draw his saber, just looked them all over. But then one of his hands came up and a half dozen men and a few women rose from the crowd and into the air. They struggled uselessly against him and many screamed in the face of the power of the knight.

They floated through the air to land in a graceless heap in front of the storm troopers. He walked to them and looked down, at one man specifically. Jecek's hand came up once again and a blaster flew from the waistband of Hux's would-be assassin.

Jecek looked the blaster over before passing it off to a 'trooper. He addressed the small group. "You will be detained by the First Order for treason and conspiracy to commit treason against the representatives of the Supreme Leader."

The man who had fired must have been the leader because he was the only one who spoke. "He's not our Supreme Leader. He's a tyrant!"

Jecek's head tilted that a way that reminded Hux of Kylo Ren. "Be that as it may. This planet and you are now under the protection and rule of Supreme Leader Snoke. Your actions here were almost paid for with the blood of your own people. It will have cost you your life but the rest of you can still live if you renounce this fool's errand."

The man spat out. "We would have all been martyrs! The Resistance will defeat you!"

Hux heard the rumblings of the crowd as they began to sneer at the man and his group who had planned for them all to die. This was better propaganda than even he could have drummed up. He made a mental note to get all the recordings of this incident sent to the office of media distribution.

The general watched Jecek but the knight was still and his words level. "Your Resistance is but an illusion. They have no backing by your former Senate and now they, themselves, have declared Martial Law on a large swath of the galaxy and their general has placed herself as the leader. They scrape around for resources and money to hold us back. But our Order will overcome them." Amazingly, Jecek spoke the truth and Hux could see the others behind the assassin looking at each other and putting as much distance between themselves and the man. General Organa was going to turn puce when this situation made the rounds on the 'net. Hux might even oversee the cutting of the video, himself.

But the man was undeterred. "As if we'd listen to a monster like you."

Hux felt the air freeze around them and knew that the man was dead. He seemed to know this as well because he scrambled back and tried to place his comrades in front of him as Jecek crouched down before the group. He pulled a glove off showing a dark-skinned human hand. It was the first proof that Hux had gotten that there was even a person even under there.

The words were soft. "I am no more a monster than you."

That hand came out and the man began whimpering as he was overcome with pain. It was only seconds before the whimpering became all out screaming as blood began to drip from his eyes, ears, and nose. Hux felt his lip curl in disgust but he took, not a small amount of pleasure in the obviously agonizing death of his would-be assassin. He kept his eyes on the man as he breathed his last breath before dropping to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

The general let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding when Jecek stood back up, turned around, and strode away, his glove coming back on.

Hux took one last look at the small group as they tried to move as far away from the body of their leader as possible. The stormtroopers didn't even need to push the crowd back and they parted around Jecek, giving him a wide berth.

* * *

Hux sat at his desk, staring at the paperwork in front of him. He could do nothing, however. His mind was anxious and his thoughts jumbled over the words printed on the pad. He was interrupted from his irritation when the door chimed. He knew who it was, of course. The source of his current irritation. He called for her to enter.

The doors slid open and Phasma came in. "You wished to see me, sir."

He ran his tongue over his teeth and huffed out a breath. "Yes. I just need a few questions answered."

She nodded shortly. "Of course sir."

He picked up the pad and held it up to face her. "Why, Phasma, do I have a transfer request on my desk?"

She was silent for a second before answering carefully. "I wish to be transferred."

His eyes narrowed and he could not stop the ugliness that crossed his features. "We've had this conversation before, Captain."

She didn't allow his answer to dissuade her. "The circumstances have changed."

He slammed the pad down and was close to snarling. "In what way?"

"I can no longer carry out my duties and now the lack of reconditioning access has made my continued service here... unavoidable. I have spoken with the health advisor and they have agreed and recommended immediate transfer."

The general's brow furrowed and he felt blood drain from his face. "What exactly did you tell them?"

"Only that I had become too emotionally invested and that I could no longer be trusted to carry out my duties impartially."

Such an admission could be grounds for demotion, perhaps even removal from the system. She would be relegated to a dreg 'trooper working in the bowels of the lowest of ships. It angered him further that she would say such a thing to anyone.

He gritted his teeth. "Emotionally invested. Is that what they're calling it these days?"

She said nothing so he got up and came around to stand only feet from her. He hated that she kept herself from him. Not just her face but her very being. It was not in his nature to deny himself anything he wanted. It never had been. He'd always set goals for himself and disregarding the debacle of Star Killer Base, he'd gotten everything he's worked for.

 _Except her_. Phasma owed him everything. Her rank, her reputation and even her very name. She should deny him nothing.

"Take off your helmet." The words came out without his permission but he wouldn't take them back. And he wouldn't let her deny him anymore.

She visibly shuddered. "Sir-"

Hux cut her off. "I said take it off."

He heard her let out a harsh breath before she slung the gun she carried over her back and reached up, her fingers catching on the clasps. There was a hiss as it released and she lifted it, revealing her features. Her short white-blond hair fell around her face and she was just as he remembered her to be. She wouldn't meet his eyes and he could see the fear and doubt on her face. He came closer and looked up at her before reaching up and putting his hand on her cheek.

They stayed like that for a few minutes and he savored just looking at her. She wore no adornments in her ears and her hair was a messy tangle around her pale features but she was more beautiful that any of the powdered and fluffed debutants that his mother had thrown at him over the years. Because he _knew_ she loved him. That she'd begun this downward spiral to escape from her feelings. But he wouldn't let her run from him. Not anymore.

He kept his voice low. "I'm sick of playing these games."

She blinked rapidly and her face was awash with pain. "Sir, you…"

He couldn't help rubbing this fingers over her skin and hair. "Hux. From now on, when we're alone, you'll call me Hux." If he could hear her call him that. Not 'sir' or 'general'. Just Hux and if she said it while he was inside her...he felt his pants begin to tighten. _One step at a time._

Her mouth opened and she looked hopelessly miserable. "I can't do that, sir. I need to leave. You need a captain who isn't a distraction."

He shook his head. "You've never been a distraction." He whispered, though his eyes were on her plush lips. He was lying of course. She had but to step into any room with him, and his eyes traveled to her. His thoughts were of her and the mystery of her mind.

She cringed. "How can you say that. Star Killer Base was destroyed because of this... this attachment." She was breathing hard and looked on the verge of some kind of breakdown.

He _had_ to regain control. His other hand came up and he cupped the other side of her face forcing her to fully look towards him. "Phasma, Phasma look at me." Her eyes shut and moisture gathered in her pale lashes.

He almost didn't hear her whispered plea, "No... Please don't make me."

Hux didn't enjoy forcing Phasma to do anything but she wouldn't escape this. He allowed her to side step him for a decade.

"No. _Look_ at me."

She shook her head, sliding to the ground as he legs seemingly gave out. He had no choice but to follow her but that was fine. They were closer to eye level now and he propped himself up a bit further.

Her tears had begun leaking down the sides of her face and he _hated_ that she cried. It made him feel like a monster to see her and know she was this way because of him. His proud Captain Phasma brought so low by the one who loved her.

She was close to hyperventilating as everything was coming to a head. "I'm a _stormtrooper_. I serve the First Order until I die in service. My life means _nothing_."

He shook his head in denial. "No! No, no. Phasma, you need to listen to me." Her eyes were still closed but he said anyway, "I know this is hard for you. I know your training does not allow for emotional attachment. But you are as attached to me as I am to you. And I will not allow you to back away from that. Not anymore."

Her eyes finally opened and she looked all at once broken and angry. "You don't know _anything_. You're free to do as you wish. You are a great general from a wealthy and connected family. You've had the best education and the ability to choose your destiny. My mother sold me to the First Order three days after my birth for _sixteen credits_. My life is only worth sixteen credits. From that day forward, I was nothing in a sea of more nothing. You can not be attached to me. Because I'm _nothing_."

The words caused Hux to freeze with an onslaught conflicted feelings. He wanted to find this woman who had sold Phasma and throw her into the deepest darkest hole he could find and let her rot. But if she hadn't done what she'd done, he would not have his captain. Perhaps he would have been dead a decade ago and she would be living on the streets. If her mother had been so poor as to sell her child for so little, what chance would Phasma have had if she hadn't been a stormtrooper.

Had she ended up in an orphanage, she would most likely have still been selected to join the stormtrooper program as many orphaned children were. It was a harsh life but it provided them with consistent meals, a warm bed, an education and a purpose.

But he couldn't help asking. "Do you regret it? Do you regret being here? Do you regret _me?"_

She gazed at him through glassy eyes and he felt her move around for a few seconds before her own hand came up, bare and calloused, and she touched him. He breathed in as the pad of her fingers touched his chin.

Phasma's eyes ran over his face before she quietly said. "No."

Hux couldn't help the water that leaked from the corners of his eyes at her answer. She seemed so shattered but he'd build her up again. She was his proud captain. And the woman he loved.

He moved in closer. "You were never nothing, Phasma. You're _everything._ "

He felt her breath catch as he leaned in and kissed her. She froze against him but he continued to try and coax a response from her. It was slow at first but after a minute or so her other hand came up and clutched at his uniform.

They pulled away from each other. Her eyes were wide and she looked positively shellshocked. Hux decided he quite liked the look of it and leaned in, pressing his lips once more to hers.

* * *

Two more chapters to go! And I might have written an actual sex scene after talking to my editors, Sarah and Kristen, so that will be up tomorrow or the day after as well. Fun times ahead!


	10. Chapter 10

"Your captain is walking on air."

Hux jumped only slightly as Jecek came up behind him. But the general felt his eyes widen as he fully digested the statement. Hux couldn't help looking around the bridge in agitation.

His words came out in a low hiss. " _Keep your voice down_."

 _Of course_ Phasma was walking on air. They'd been at it for _hours_ the night before. She might have started out hesitant and unsure but by the third time, she was on top of _him_ and...Hux swallowed. Jecek was looking his way, his helmet tilted, and Hux _knew_ the knight was in his mind, probably soaking in every detail, the pervert.

Jecek laughed which caused those around them to shudder, including Hux himself, who couldn't help pulling on his collar a bit. Jecek stepped closer and Hux had to resist the urge to move away like a scared rabbit.

His words were softer this time. "Don't worry, general. Your captain is stunning but not my type. Though to be honest, I hadn't thought you'd have it in you, Hux." The general glared at the man, who shrugged.

Jecek looked back out into the darkness of space. "But I do admire you. Having the fortitude to throw the rules to the wind to take what you want." The knight seemed to be thinking of something specific and Hux felt for any woman or man unlucky enough to draw the steely knight's attention.

Jecek snorted and Hux knew he'd been heard when the knight turned and said. "She's far out of my league, but perhaps I can catch up at some point."

The general wasn't sure what that was supposed to mean. Jecek seemed more powerful than even Kylo Ren. Or perhaps he simply had a better handle on his temper.

"I assure you, Kylo Ren is far more powerful than I. But he never allowed himself to truly bask within the beauty of the Force." Jecek paused and his mask moved slightly as if he was listening for something. "But that's changed, now. He will be returning to us soon."

Hux looked up sharply. "You've spoken to him?"

Jecek shook his head. "Nothing so pedestrian as that. But I can feel his intentions. Change is coming to the First Order."

"Does that change have anything to do with those reports of two jedi attacking Keshren Four? I _know_ Kylo Ren was there. And I also know that he and his...companion killed hundreds of stormtroopers. Is that what you were talking about when you said he was more powerful than you?"

Was that _man-child_ , Kylo Ren the person who would kill Snoke and take over? Hux shuddered at the thought.

Jecek stayed quiet for a moment. "He is not as he was. This year he has spent away from the Supreme Leader...it has… shifted him. Prepared him for what is to come."

Hux wasn't sure he believed the knight but Jecek was no fool and the general didn't see him throwing his support behind someone who was unfit. Were the other knights aware of what was going on? Was this what his mother had meant about the writing on the walls? Hux cringed when Jecek's mask sharply turned towards him. The knight had heard him, obviously. Had perhaps seen the entire conversation in his mind.

Jecek stared at him before saying, "Your mother is wise. Listen to her. Think carefully about what it is you wish to accomplish and who it is that can best assist you in your goals."

Phasma's face flashed across his mind and Hux looked out into void behind the view port. He nodded and Jecek left him to his thoughts. Hux's peace didn't last long.

A radar technician called to him. "Sir, a resistance scout ship just dropped out of hyper-space."

Hux turned around abruptly and said. "Use the tractor beam and dispatch a TIE squadron. Get that ship!"

The techs around the bridge began relaying his orders to personnel around the ship and there was a flurry of motion. Hux looked up at Jecek and the knight nodded before heading away towards the hanger. Jecek would handle the interrogation. Hux had full faith in the man's ability on that front.

He watched as the ship was brought closer to the destroyer and allowed himself a smirk. He wasn't sure what that scout was doing out here but any useful information he had would be theirs.

"Sir, the ship is on board and the pilot has been identified as FN-2187."

Hux froze. He remembered that designation. The traitor who had helped to blow up Star Killer Base. The one who had threatened Phasma.

He looked over towards on of the lieutenant. "I will be overseeing his interrogation. You have the bridge."

The man nodded and Hux left, his steps swift as he made his way towards the Detention Block. The 'troopers manning the entry way saluted before telling him which cell the traitor was in. Hux did not acknowledge them further as he kept walking and made his way to the room. He took a steadying breath before opening the door.

FN-2187 was spitting out his words at the knight. "My name is Finn. Not FN-2187!"

Hux came around to face the traitor and stood behind Jecek but the knight did not seem to notice him. The general felt his lips twist at FN-2187's gall. Only 'troopers who managed to rise above the sea of marginalism were granted names. Jecek was silent as he looked the ex-'trooper over. He hadn't raised a hand up, as Kylo did, so Hux couldn't tell if he was reading the traitor's mind.

The knight moved closer, his mask tilting. "Who gave you that name?" The traitor said nothing so Jecek continued. "Someone important, I think. Important to you. Are they waiting for you to return?" At this, FN-2187's eyes twitched and Hux can almost imagine the smile that Jecek must be wearing as he said, "Yes... This person. This... pilot. He's everything to you. But...only because of…" Jecek paused. "You're acquainted with my master and with..."

Jecek trailed off but the words had gotten Hux's attention and apparently it was also enough to have Jecek Ren take off the kid gloves. His hand came up so his fingers hovered over FN-2187's face. Seconds later, the ex-'trooper's face was engulfed in pain. Hux wondered if FN-2187 would suffer the same fate as the assassin. His lips curled into a smile of deep satisfaction at the idea. But seconds later Jecek dropped the connection and FN-2187 fell back, apparently passed out.

The knight finally turned to him. "I did not expect to see you here."

Hux allowed a snippet of what he'd heard over the comm back at Star Killer Base filter through his mind and Jecek's mask tilted in understanding.

"Ah… You wish revenge on this man."

Hux raised a brow but said, "He is a traitor to the Order. A deserter who will be made an example of."

"No."

Hux looked up sharply. "No? What do you mean, 'no'? His crimes are punishable by death."

But Jecek was looking back at the 'trooper. "He will serve a different purpose."

Hux sneered. "What _exactly_ did you see in his mind?"

The knight's voice was contemplative. "Far more than I had thought. It is not _he_ specifically who is of value but the connections he has."

The general eyed Jecek, a brow raised. "To Kylo Ren or with... her?"

He'd guessed right because Jecek turned towards him as if he'd been caught doing something he should not have been.

Hux could not stop his next words. "Do not let this personal obsession you have with this girl cloud your judgement. There are bigger things at stake, here."

Jecek drew himself up but did not attack him. "The end of this war is drawing closer. Another may begin in its place but we must know all the pieces on the board if we are to win this round."

"And is she an important piece, this girl?" Hux would never have contemplated the idea before but after what he'd seen from Jecek... If she were more powerful than he and Kylo...

The knight nodded as he read Hux's thoughts. "There are many important pieces but in this game we are playing, she is the queen."

Hux eyed the knight suspiciously. "How can you know that? She is but a scavenger from a backwater planet."

Jecek tilted his head. "She uses the Dark and Light side of the Force. She is the first of her kind in a millenia and through her, others will rise."

Hux grimaced. "Like your master."

"Kylo Ren will be but the first."

Jecek had been interested in this girl for almost a year. The general voiced his thoughts. "And you, the second? Will you abandon the Order when you find her?"

But the knight shook his head. "No. I am needed here. She will break from Kylo Ren and he will need assistance in gaining control of the Order."

Kylo Ren was a selfish brat in Hux's mind and he didn't see the dark-haired knight letting the scavenger leave him. Kylo tended to obsess over and jealously guard things he believed were his. Be they people or objects. And if she somehow made the master of the knights stronger…

His eyes narrowed. "Kylo Ren isn't one to give up his toys. What makes you think he would allow her to leave?"

Jecek snorted. "He will have no choice in the matter."

Was the girl really strong enough to put Ren off? It was a rather off-putting thought.

The knight shook his head. "Not alone. She will need support which she will get from this stormtrooper. He is her friend and he will help her." The knight paused. "And you will support me from now on, won't you general?" Hux raised a brow, unsure if Jecek was using some kind of mind trick.

The mask tilted and Hux imagined the man smiling preditorially. "I assure you, were I to do such a thing, you would not have the capacity to ask if I was. What I offer you is a way to get what you want. To get _who_ you want."

Hux didn't like letting the 'trooper off. He hated it, in fact. But the First Order was about to change drastically and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He had little doubt Jecek would _murder_ him if he sensed that Hux would betray the cause of Kylo Ren. And Phasma… If Jecek had as much influence over Kylo as it seemed, perhaps his relationship with his captain could change. His mother hoped for a grandchild but that would only happen if things within the Order changed. Hux looked towards FN-2187. He'd allow the trooper to be unharmed. Phasma was worth that.

The knight chuckled. "Do not worry, Hux. I said we couldn't kill him. I said nothing about not damaging him. Just make sure he can still walk. _Mostly._ Anyway, I must report to the Supreme Leader."

He nodded and Jecek walked out while Hux looked at the still unconscious 'trooper. He was going to enjoy this.

* * *

One more chapter after this and I'll also post the sex scene if you want. I'll need to up the rating if I do.


	11. Chapter 11

Phasma laid in the bed of her general and almost felt guilty letting herself spread out amongst the soft pillows and luxurious blankets. This kind of selfishness went against everything she'd been taught. But it felt _so good_.

And it didn't hurt that Hux was kissing her jaw and throat in a way that made her shiver. His hand came up to cup her breast and she laughed as she pushed him away.

Phasma pulled herself from the comfortable bed. "I have a shift in fifteen minutes."

Hux was watching her and she could see the appreciation in his expression as he eyed her naked body. "Skip it. I know the general and I think I can convince him to let you have the day off."

Phasma didn't roll her eyes but it was a close thing. "I can not shirk my duties just because you can't keep your hands to yourself. I need to make an appearance at my barracks or there will be talk." _If there wasn't already._

He looked petulant but nodded and collapsed back onto his back. She pulled her clothing and armor on, all the while hoping no one would be going down the hall when she finally stepped out of the general's quarters. It was a risk they'd taken a few times.

Phasma had wanted to limit their... interactions to his office and use the bed in there. They could claim to be in a meeting but the general apparently didn't like being scrunched into the tiny bed. He also apparently wanted to try other positions that simply required more room to complete.

She sighed and smiled at him as she met his eyes. "I'll see you after my shift."

His brows did that leering thing and he said, "I'll be waiting."

She leaned down and kissed him before putting her helmet on and walking out. Thankfully the hall was clear and she began to make her way back to her barracks. She would claim a double shift and just slip in and out to change her undergarments.

The captain was there quickly and many of the 'troopers nodded at her as she made her way through the common areas towards her room. As the 'trooper with the highest rank on board, she had her own private quarters and 'fresher. Something she was grateful for now as Hux tended to leave bruises.

She'd almost made it to her quarters when she heard a voice call her name. "Captain Phasma!"

She looked over to see a 'trooper with a blue pauldron coming towards her, one she recognized. "JL-8195, What can I do for you?"

The 'trooper, a girl of twenty three who was called 'Jewel' by her squad-mates seemed uncomfortable but asked, "May we talk privately?"

Phasma nodded. Her shift was due to begin, but the needs of her soldiers was far more important. She gestured for the girl to follow her inside her quarters.

One the doors had closed behind them, the girl spoke again. "Permission to remove my helmet."

Phasma raised a brow but pulled off her own helmet and said, "Permission granted."

JL-8195 revealed her face and it was as Phasma remembered. Jewel was quite pretty with ash blonde hair and green eyes. She was a sniper class 'trooper and quite deadly at long range. But she seemed rather hesitant now.

"What's the matter?'

"I-I know that the general uses you for… servicing." Phasma was silent as she took _that_ in but the girl hurried to add, "I won't say anything. A couple people know but everyone is keeping it under wraps."

"Then why are you informing _me_?"

The girl swallowed nervously. "I-I Lieutenant Darnin has called me to his quarters after his shift is over in a few hours…"

Ah… So that was what this was about. Darnin was a pig who seemed to think he needed to make his way through every female 'trooper on board. And now it was Jewel's turn. Phasma wasn't one to doubt her own physical attributes but the man had never approached her so she'd not really thought about it before. It was an unfortunate truth that many stormtroopers were called to serve officers in such a capacity and they had little in the way recourse.

"What is it you'd like me to do?"

She seemed to deflate a bit. "I-I don't know. I… How do you cope with the general?"

Phasma was positive that her experience with General Hux was a far cry from what JL-8195 could expect from someone like Darnin, as such she wasn't sure how much help she would be. That being said…

Phasma held out her hand. "Give me your rotation chip." The girl pulled the thumbsize card from her wrist guard and Phasma picked up her work pad. She plugged the chip into the side and began relaying new orders before pulling the chip back out and handing it over. "JL-8195, we'll be arriving in orbit of Vjun in one hour. Inform your squad that they will be assisting with setting up basecamp."

JL-8195 looked at the chip and then looked back up at Phasma. She smiled a relieved and grateful smile. "Thank you."

"No thanks are required. You need to hurry if your squad is to be ready on time."

The girl nodded and put her helmet back on before leaving Phasma's quarters. The captain could not contain her grimace. Had she done the right thing or merely delayed the inevitable? Darnin would catch that 'trooper at some point. It was only a matter of when.

But as she thought about the look on Jewel's face and the misery found in her eyes, Phasma knew she'd do it again in a heartbeat. She quickly finished changing her underarmor and had just put her helmet back on when the ship alarms went off and the lighting flashed blue. They were making an emergency jump.

* * *

Hux had watched Phasma leave with no small amount of regret and made a mental note to have their schedules line up better. He was contemplating going back to sleep, however, when his comm went off.

He called out. "Audio! No Visual." He waited a half second. "Yes?"

His quarters filled with the anxious voice of one of the communications techs. "Sir, we are receiving and emergency distress call from Korriban!"

Hux blinked and was out of bed like a shot. "I'll be there momentarily!"

He hastily pulled his uniform on and did his best to smooth out his hair before all but running out of the room and down the hall towards the lift. As it was, he was on the bridge four minutes after receiving the comm. The door slid open and the bridge crew were all speaking rapidly into their comm units, relaying information and orders.

One of the lieutenants scurried up to him, shoving a pad in his hand. "Sir, we are receiving word that the capital is under attack by the Resistance fleet."

Hux looked over the messages. "Do we have confirmation of its authenticity?"

The lieutenant nodded. "Independent verification from one of the system's outposts has come in. The codes match.

Hix nodded. "Inform the rest of the fleet to jump back to Korriban and ready the TIE squadrons. Full alert and battle stations."

The lieutenant nodded. "Yes, sir!" The man walked off, barking orders and the ship's blue alert lights began to flash as they readied themselves for an emergency jump. It was at this point that Hux began to look around, and he noticed a suspicious absence. Jecek Ren was nowhere to be found.

The ship jumped to hyperspace and Hux grabbed the railing to stay upright during the initial surge. The _Actualizer_ as well as most of the First Order Fleet were spread along the galaxy and it would take time to get them all back to the planet. Hux looked over the damage reports to the palace on the pad and shook his head. Perhaps they didn't need Ren to destroy the Supreme Leader after all.

By the time the _Actualizer_ reached the planet, the small resistance fleet was already jumping away after having done what they came to do. Eye witness reports came in of the Supreme Leader's body, slain by a lightsaber after meeting with Kylo Ren and his new apprentice. Already his pad was blowing up with communications from other destroyers that the knights aboard were commandeering the ships, destroying tech and threatening personnel. They were forcing the ships to jump to another system, presumably to choose the next leader. Considering how Kylo tended to act, it was sure to be a bloodbath.

Jecek was still nowhere in sight but the communications tech was able to locate him in his quarters. Hux did not let out the dramatic sigh that was bubbling up but instead left the bridge and headed for the knight's private domain. The general made it there quickly and pressed the chime. It was only a fraction of a second later that the door slid open. Hux took a step inside, preparing to let his displeasure of the knight's disappearing act be heard, but the words died in his throat when Jecek Ren turned around to face him.

His mask was held in his hand and his hood was down, revealing a man with short, dark, wavy locks and coffee-colored skin. He was obviously human, perhaps of Mandalorian descent. His eyes were almost black and Hux had to blink several times at the sight. Jecek was, for lack of a better word, stunning.

Jecek snorted and looked away. "Careful Hux, Phasma might become jealous."

Hux shook his head rapidly to clear it but felt heat rising to his cheeks. "The Supreme Leader is dead."

The knight nodded and looked down at the helmet. "Yes, I know."

 _Of course he did._

Hux tried not to let his irritation show. "There are other knights that are consolidating power already and infighting is going on to select the next leader. They are gathering in the Braxant Sector." Jecek's face twitched and it was the first time Hux had ever gotten a read on the man's emotions during their conversations.

The knight's words were quiet. "Kylo Ren lives."

Hux had thought as much. "He escaped the planet."

Jecek nodded. "Yes. Along with the girl. We were close enough that I sensed them and I know where Kylo has gone to hide."

Things were changing rapidly and Hux gritted his teeth. It was obvious that Jecek had some kind of plan that Hux was not privy to. The man probably had plans upon plans.

Hux did his best not to let his apprehension show. "What are your orders?"

The corner of Jecek's mouth curled upwards and Hux knew he had said the right thing. He was signing himself away to this man. This knight who had promised him Phasma and the future Hux knew he deserved.

White teeth spread over Jecek's face and his eyes looked positively gleeful. "Have no fear, general. I will deliver all I have promised." He paused and his eyes closed as if listening for something only he could hear. "Master Kylo or his apprentice killed the Supreme Leader. One of them is the rightful heir to the Knights." Jecek reached over and picked up a pad from the table behind him and handed it over. "Go. Take a shuttle to these coordinates and retrieve him."

Hux nodded, taking the pad. So either the girl or Kylo Ren would be the next leader of the knights and possibly even the First Order. Hux didn't see Ren allowing anyone but himself to rule, even this girl who had been with him for so long. So in the end, he could only hope she'd had a positive influence on Ren, as Jecek had said. Or stars help them all.

* * *

Prepare for Info Dump:

Last chapter! Well, I did write the sex scene for their first time and it's right after this one, but it's not really a chapter. Not a huge fan of writing sex scenes myself or reading them really, but I know some of you are really keen on getting that payoff so I did break down and write one. So for those of you interested, it's there and for those of you that aren't you don't have to read it.

The next part of this series is Beneath the Veil and will take place seven years after this fic. For those of you wanting an update, I've finished the first draft outline of the fic so it has a beginning, middle and end. I need to go back and do a second draft outline and then go over the story with my editors to make sure I have everything covered. At that point, I will begin actually writing the chapters and releasing them. I'm back in school now so things are taking me a bit longer.

There is also another side story in this series that I am working on called, Disguised Reality. It will cover Finn and Poe's story and why Finn ended up in front of Hux's destroyer. It wasn't a coincidence. I have the first draft outline of that fic completed as well and it will be shorter that this fic but I haven't had time to work on it. It is coming, though.

Last thing, I am on tumblr at sophiascribbling. I use my tumblr primarily to talk about my writing and keep readers updated on this series as well as other things I am working on. I post story status updates a couple of times a week on there so if you want to know when something is coming out, follow me on there. :)

Last Last thing: Jecek will return in Beneath the Veil. And for those who want a better idea of what he looks like, I modeled his looks after Sendhil Ramamurthy. Just google that name and you shouldn't have any issues finding him.

I want to thank everyone who read, followed, and commented on this fic. I very much appreciated the opportunity to read your opinions on this work and hopefully I didn't let you down with this. If you are interested in reading other parts of this series, check my author page and follow me on there. Also, my editors, Kristen and Sarah, were out of this world and this fic would not be what it is without them.

Thank you to everyone again for your support!  
~Sophie D.


	12. Chapter 12

He was doing it. Over a decade of watching her move through the shadows protecting him and helping his cause... and he was kissing her. And she was kissing him back! He reached down and felt around her chestplate for the clasp that would release it. It snapped open and he heard her gasp and pull away from him.

He looked her over in concern. "It's alright, Phasma."

Her eyes searched his face and her reddened lips were panting but she nodded. She allowed him to completely removed the chestplate and she even helped him with the rest of it until all that remained was the black under armour.

He kept his eyes on her as he helped her up. Hux took her to the back of the office where he hit a few buttons on the wall and a single sized bed slid out of the wall. It was a feature he'd insisted on for the days when he was only able to catch a few hours of sleep here or there.

He was especially glad of it now as he'd rather not have done this with Phasma on the floor. He lowered her down and tried to smile encouragingly at her despite how uncomfortable she seemed.

Hux wanted to believe that he was the type of man who would allow Phasma to take the lead in their encounters. Be he wasn't. He'd been fantasizing about this very moment for so long that unless she told him to stop, he wouldn't. And if he waited for her to be the one to initiate anything, it would probably be another decade before they got any farther than heavy petting.

No. He was done playing games and he was done waiting.

She was laid out on the bed and he crawled over her after removing his own shirt. Her top and pants had been discarded but she still had her underthings on. But her hands were up, shielding her chest from him. She looked at him. Her hand came up a few inches before drawing back.

Hux took her hand and pulled it until her fingers were spread over his skin. "You can touch me. You can do whatever you want."

The very idea seemed so foreign to her and she looked so confused, so he continued to hold her hand there until her shoulders relaxed and she became more comfortable with the contact. Her fingers moved slightly over his skin and her eyes moved over his chest in curious fascination. Eventually her other hand came up as well and she touched his neck, exploring his skin curiously before running her fingers through his hair. He watched her face and he saw her smile a bit.

The first smile he'd ever seen from her. Her teeth were white and straight, and he wanted to kiss her again. To feel that expression against his own lips. So he did and he couldn't help his own smile when her tongue met him. She pulled away and the their eyes locked.

Her words were soft. "This is alright?"

"Yes. This is alright."

She pulled him softly and he leaned down and kissed her again. This time he allowed himself to fully lay on top of her and her breathy exhale was one of the most erotic things he'd ever heard.

He pulled away from her mouth and began kissing her jaw and throat. His fingers moved down and he began to unhook the undergarment that bound her breasts. She made a low sound of fear and he looked up. "It's alright. This is normal."

Sexual education wasn't taught to the stormtroopers beyond a basic understanding of anatomy and the consequences of fornication. He'd have to walk her through the entire thing.

She nodded shortly and he finished unhooking the bindings. It came apart and revealed a pair of rather petite breasts. Well, petite for someone of her height. But they were perfectly round and tipped in the same pale pink as her lips.

Her breathing picked up again as he lowered himself down and he kept eye contact as he wrapped his lips around one perfect nipple and sucked. She began to blink rapidly and he hoped that meant he was doing something right. By this time both her hands were carding through his hair and he loved the way her fingers rubbed his scalp. It was almost soothing as he continued his ministrations on her breast.

He stopped and she looked stricken for a second before looking away in embarrassment. Hux smiled before moving on to repeat his earlier performance on her other breast. Her head fell back this time, her eyes closed, and he almost breathed a sigh of relief. This was going well.

He pulled away from her chest and began making his way down. His tongue dipped into the various small scars along her abdomen but one stopped his exploration. He ran his fingers over the mottled and puckered flesh of a blaster burn. The one she'd received on the day they met. It was the most beautiful thing about her. It was a physical mark on her that tied her to him and Hux reveled in it as he ran his tongue over the scar.

Eventually he moved even lower. He didn't normally enjoy doing this but Hux didn't mind putting aside his own preferences for Phasma. This was her first time and he wanted it to be perfect. This would be what she remembered and hopefully would be the impetus to recurring sexual relations. He licked his lips at the thought.

His fingers came around her underwear and she sat up immediately, watching him. "You're going to… down there?"

He nodded and pulled the black garment off, leaving her completely nude. "Don't worry. You'll like this."

She didn't look convinced but didn't stop him as he spread her legs and looked over the platinum curls of her sex. The shade of blonde was interesting and not something normally seen naturally among humans. But it fit with her pale skin and made her look almost ethereal in the low lighting of his office.

He promised himself in that moment that as soon as he could, he'd make up some excuse to go back home. He'd ship his mother off to some exotic local for a vacation and he'd take Phasma again and again in his own bed. And then again in that shower she enjoyed so much.

Her eyes were wide as he sank down and began to run his tongue over her nether regions. She immediately slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle the sound that almost came out. He smiled at her wide eyes and continued to move his tongue around before finally pulling her clit into his mouth and sucking.

Phasma spasmed and fell back down onto the bed, her body twitching slightly as he continued to work her over. She finally reached down and pushed his head away. "Too much!"

He couldn't help the smirk that graced his lips as he crawled back over her. She was panting and seemed to be on another planet.

Her voice was breathy. "Was that an orgasm?"

"Yes."

"That was… amazing."

"It only gets better from here."

At that, her brow furrowed as if she couldn't fathom such a thing. Hux bobbed his eyebrows as he leered down at her. But he sat back on his haunches between her legs and reached down to undo his pants. He pulled everything off and he was as exposed as she.

Her eyes were glued to his cock and he was fairly proud of its size as it stood to attention in front of her. He _might_ have posed slightly for a few seconds, his pelvis thrust forward before he came back over her.

She was biting her lip. "One of the women in my barracks… she told me this hurts."

Hux shook his head. "No. It may be a little uncomfortable the first time but after that it's the closest we can be to one another." He reached down and ran his fingers over her slit. "You're so wet that I'll just slide right in."

The captain took a deep breath but nodded. Hux hoped he wasn't lying to her. She was thirty years old but she'd never had sex before. She would be tight so he'd have to go slow. He reached down and positioned himself, pushing in slightly.

She _squeaked_ slightly but didn't look to be in any pain so he slid further in and stopped every few seconds to let her adjust until he was fully seated. She was breathing a little harder than usual but that was fine. He moved his hand away from where they were joined and moved so he was supporting himself on his forearms.

He began to move slightly, gently moving his hips in a subtle pattern. Her breath hitched slightly and her hands came around his back, her fingertips digging into his flash. His movements came more quickly after that, the speed and distance of his thrusts increasing as she became more comfortable with the process.

Phasma didn't moan like some of the prostitutes that had serviced him in the past, but she breathed deeply into his ear which only turned him on even more. They continued this way for a while and every time he got close, he paused his thrusting and kissed her again. He'd been dreaming of this moment for over a decade and he wanted it to last as long as possible. She didn't seem to mind and she smiled at him every time he leaned in and stole kisses from her.

Eventually it had to end but he made sure she came again before he allowed himself to finish inside her. But that point, sweat was beaded all over both their bodies and they slid together as he all but collapsed on top of her, panting. Her arms came around him and they held each other close in the tiny bed.

He could not get enough of her lips and he kissed her again. "Promise me, you'll never leave. Never ask to be parted from me."

She nodded and said. "I promise."


End file.
